flrO 


By  Lady  Gregory 


DRAMA 

Seven  Short  Plays 
Folk-History  Plays,  2  vols. 
New  Comedies 
The  Image 
The  Golden  Apple 

Our  Irish  Theatre.       A  Chapter  of  Auto- 
biography 


IRISH  FOLK  LORE  AND  LEGEND 

Visions  and  Beliefs,  2  vols. 
Cuchulain  of  Muirthemne 
Gods  and  Fighting  Men 
Saints  and  Wonders 
Poets  and  Dreamers 
The  Kiltartan  Poetry  Book 


The  Dragon 


A  WONDER  PLAY  IN  THREE  ACTS 


By 

Lady  Gregory 


II 

■■''.i:M'J^/; 

G.  P.  Putnam's 

Sons 

New  York  and  London 

tKfie 

Unicfeerbocfeet 
1920 

3Pre£f« 

Copyright,  1920,  by 
Lady   Gregory 


TO 
ANNE    AND    CATHERINE 


435841 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Act  1 9 

Act  II 51 

Act  III 81 


THE  DRAGON 

Persons 

The  King, 

The  Queen. 

The  Princess  Ntiala. 

The  Ball  Glic  (The  Blind  Wise  Man). 

The  Nurse. 

The  Prince  of  the  Marshes. 

Manus,  King  of  Sorcha. 

Pint  an,  The  Astrologer. 

Taig. 

Sibby  (Taig's  Mother.) 

Gatekeeper, 

Two  Aunts  of  the  Prince  of  the  Marshes. 

Foreign  Men  Bringing  in  Food, 

The  Dragon, 


ACT  I 


ACT  I 

Scene:  A  room  in  the  Kings  house  at  Burren. 
Large  window  at  hack  with  deep  zvindow 
seat.  Doors  right  and  left,  A  small  table 
and  some  chairs. 

Dall  Glic:  {Coming  in  with  tray,  which  he 
puts  on  table-  Goes  back  to  door.)  You  can 
come  in,  King.    There  is  no  one  here. 

King:  {Coming  in.)  That's  very  good.  I 
was  in  dread  the  Queen  might  be  in  it. 

Dall  Glic:  It  is  a  good  thought  I  had  bring- 
ing it  in  here,  and  she  gone  to  give  learning  to 
the  Princess.  She  is  not  Hkely  to  come  this 
side.    It  would  be  a  great  pity  to  annoy  her. 

King:  {Hastily  swallowing  a  mouthful) 
Look  out  now  the  door  and  keep  a  good  watch. 
The  time  she  will  draw  upon  me  is  when  I  am 
eating  my  little  bite. 

Dall  Glic:     I'll  do  that.     What  I  wouldn't 

9 


iq  The  Dragon 

see  with  my  one  eye,  there's  no  other  would 
see  with  three. 

King:  A  month  to-day  since  I  wed  with  her, 
and  well  pleased  I  am  to  be  back  in  my  own 
place.  I  give  you  word  my  teeth  are  rusting 
with  the  want  of  meat.  On  the  journey  I  got 
no  fair  play.  She  wouldn't  be  willing  to  see  me 
nourish  myself,  unless  maybe  with  the  marrow 
bone  of  a  wren. 

Dall  Glic:  Sure  she  lays  down  she  is  but 
thinking  of  the  good  of  your  health. 

King:  Maybe  so.  She  is  apt  to  be  paying  too 
much  attention  to  what  will  be  for  mine  and 
for  the  world's  good.  I  kept  my  health  fair 
enough,  and  the  first  wife  not  begrudging  me 
my  enough.  I  don't  know  what  in  the  world 
led  me  not  to  stop  as  I  was. 

Dall  Glic:  It  is  what  you  were  saying,  it  was 
for  the  good  of  the  Princess  Nuala,  and  of 
yourself. 

King:  That  is  what  herself  laid  down.  It 
would  be  a  great  ease  to  my  mind,  she  was  say- 
ing, to  have  in  the  house  with  the  young  girl, 


The  Dragon  ii 

a  far-off  cousin  of  the  King  of  Alban,  and  that 
had  been  conversation  woman  in  his  Court. 

Dall  Glic:  So  it  might  be  too.  She  is  a  great 
manager  of  people. 

King:  She  is  that  ...  I  think  I  hear  her 
coming.  .  .  .  Throw  a  cloth  over  the  plates. 

Queen:  (Coming  in.)  I  was  in  search  of 
you. 

King:  I  thought  you  were  in  Nuala's  sunny 
parlour,  learning  her  to  play  music  and  to  go 
through  books. 

Queen:  That  is  what  I  thought  to  do.  But  I 
hadn't  hardly  started  to  teach  her  the  principles 
of  conversation  and  the  branches  of  relation- 
ships and  kindred  of  the  big  people  of  the 
earth,  when  she  plucked  off  the  coverings  I  had 
put  over  the  cages,  and  set  open  their  doors,  till 
the  fiery  birds  of  Sabes  and  the  canaries  of  the 
eastern  world  were  screeching  around  my 
head,  giving  out  every  class  of  cry  and  call. 

King:  So  they  would  too. 

Queen:  The  royal  eagles  stirred  up  till  I 
must  quit  the  place  with  their  squawking,  and 


12  The  Dragon 

the  enchanted  swans  raising  up  their  heads  and 
pecking  at  the  beadwork  on  my  gown. 

King:  Ah,  she  has  a  wish  for  the  birds  of  the 
air,  that  are  by  nature  Hght  and  airy  the  same 
as  herself. 

Queen:  It  is  time  for  her  to  turn  her  mind 
to  good  sense.  What's  that?  {Whipping 
cloth  from  tray.)  Is  it  that  you  are  eating 
again,  and  it  is  but  one  half -hour  since  your 
breakfast? 

King:  Ah,  that  wasn't  a  breakfast  you'd  call 
a  breakfast. 

Queen:  Very  healthy  food,  oaten  meal  flum- 
mery with  whey,  and  a  griddle  cake ;  dandelion 
tea  and  sorrel  from  the  field. 

King:  My  old  fathers  ate  their  enough  of 
wild  herbs  and  the  like  in  the  early  time  of  the 
world.  Fm  thinking  that  it  is  in  my  nature  to 
require  a  good  share  of  nourishment  as  if  to 
make  up  for  the  hardships  they  went  through. 

Queen:  What  now  have  you  within  that 
pastry  wall? 

King:  It  is  but  a  little  leveret  pie. 

Queen:    {Poking    zvith    fork.)       Leveret! 


The  Dragon  13 

What's  this  in  it?  The  thickness  of  a  blanket 
of  beef;  calves'  sweetbreads;  cocks'  combs; 
balls  mixed  with  livers  and  with  spice.  You 
to  so  much  as  taste  of  it,  you'll  be  crippled  and 
crappled  with  the  gout,  and  roaring  out  in  your 
pain. 

King:  I  tell  you  my  generations  have  enough 
done  of  fasting  and  for  making  little  of  the 
juicy  meats  of  the  world. 

Queen:  And  the  waste  of  it!  Goose  eggs 
and  jellies.  .  .  .  That  much  would  furnish  out 
a  dinner  for  the  whole  of  the  King  of  Alban's 
Court. 

King:  Ah,  I  wouldn't  wish  to  be  using  any- 
thing at  all,  only  for  to  gather  strength  for  to 
steer  the  business  of  the  whole  of  the  kingdom ! 

Queen:  Have  you  enough  ate  now,  my  dear? 
Are  you  satisfied? 

King:  I  am  not.  I  would  wish  for  a  little 
taste  of  that  saffron  cake  having  in  it  raisins  of 
the  sun. 

Queen:  Saffron!  Are  you  raving?  You  to 
have  within  you  any  of  the  four-and-twenty 


14  The  Dragon 

sicknesses  of  the  race,  it  would  throw  it  out  in 
red  blisters  on  your  skin. 

King:  Let  me  just  taste  one  little  slab  of 
that  venison  ham. 

Queen:  (Poking  with  a  fork.)  It  would  take 
seven  chewings!  Sudden  death  it  would  be! 
Leave  it  alone  now  and  rise  up.  To  keep  in 
health  every  man  should  quit  the  table  before 
he  is  satisfied — there  are  some  would  walk  to 
the  door  and  back  with  every  bite. 

King:  Is  it  that  I  am  to  eat  my  meal  stand- 
ing, the  same  as  a  crane  in  a  shallow,  or  moving 
from  tuft  to  thistle  like  you'd  see  a  jennet  on 
the  high  road  ? 

Queen:  Well,  at  the  least,  let  you  drink  down 
a  share  of  this  tansy  juice.  I  was  telling  you 
it  would  be  answerable  to  your  health. 

King:  You  are  doing  entirely  too  much  for 
me. 

Queen:  Sure  I  am  here  to  be  comfortable  to 
you.  This  house  before  I  came  into  it  was  but 
a  ship  without  a  rudder!  Here  now,  take  the 
spoon  in  your  hand. 


The  Dragon  15 

Dall  Glic:  Leave  it  there,  Queen,  and  FU 
engage  he'll  swallow  it  down  bye-and-bye. 

Queen:  Is  it  that  you  are  meddling,  Dall 
Glic  ?  It  is  time  some  person  took  you  in  hand. 
I  wonder  now  could  that  dark  eye  of  yours  be 
cured? 

Dall  Glic:  It  is  given  in  that  it  can  not,  by 
doctors  and  by  druids. 

Queen:  That  is  a  pity  now,  it  gives  you  a 
sort  of  a  one-sided  look.  It  might  not  be  so 
hard  a  thing  to  put  out  the  sight  of  the  other. 

Dall  Glic:  Fd  sooner  leave  them  the  way 
they  are. 

Queen:  Fll  put  a  knot  on  my  handkerchief 
till  such  time  as  I  can  give  my  mind  to  it.  ... 
Now,  my  dear  {to  King),  make  no  more  delay. 
It  is  right  to  drink  it  down  after  your  meal. 
The  stomach  to  be  bare  empty,  the  medicine 
might  prey  upon  the  body  till  it  would  be  wore 
away  and  consumed. 

King:  Time  enough.  Let  it  settle  now  for 
a  minute. 

Queen:  Here,  now,  Fll  hold  your  nose  the 
way  you  will  not  get  the  taste  of  it. 


1 6  The  Dragon 

(She  holds  spoon  to  his  mouth,  A  hall 
flies  in  at  window;  he  starts  and 
medicine  is  spilled,) 

Princess:  {Coming  in  with  Nurse.)  Is  it 
true  what  they  are  telHng  me? 

Queen:  Do  you  see  that  you  near  hit  the 
King  with  your  ball,  and,  what  is  worse  again, 
you  have  his  medicine  spilled  from  the  spoon. 

Princess:  {Patting  him.)     Poor  old  King. 

Queen:  Have  you  your  lessons  learned? 

Princess:  {Throwing  hooks  in  the  air.) 
Neither  line  nor  letter  of  them!  Poem  book! 
Brehon  Laws !  I  have  done  with  books !  I  am 
seventeen  years  old  to-day ! 

Queen:  There  is  no  one  would  think  it  and 
you  so  flighty  as  you  are. 

Princess:  {To  King.)  Is  it  true  that  the 
cook  is  gone  away? 

King:  {Aghast.)  What's  that  you're  say- 
ing? 

Queen:  Don't  be  annoying  the  King's  mind 
with  such  things.  He  should  be  hidden  from 
every  trouble  and  care. 

Princess:  Was  it  you  sent  him  away? 


The  Dragon  17 

Queen:  Not  at  all.  If  he  went  it  was 
through  foolishness  and  pride. 

Princess:  It  is  said  in  the  house  that  you 
annoyed  him. 

Queen:  1  never  annoyed  any  person  in  my 
life,  unless  it  might  be  for  their  own  good. 
But  it  fails  some  to  recognise  their  best  friend. 
Just  teaching  him  I  was  to  pickle  onion  thin- 
nings as  it  was  done  at  the  King  of  Alban's 
Court. 

Princess:  Didn't  he  know  that  before? 

Queen:  Whether  or  no,  he  gave  me  very 
little  thanks,  but  turned  around  and  asked  his 
wages.  Hurrying  him  and  harrying  him  he 
said  I  was,  and  away  with  him,  himself  and 
his  four-and-twenty  apprentices. 

King:  That  is  bad  news,  and  pitiful  news. 

Queen:  Do  not  be  troubling  yourself  at  all. 
It  will  be  easy  find  another. 

King:  It  might  not  be  easy  to  find  so  good 
a  one.  A  great  pity!  A  dinner  or  a  supper 
not  to  be  rightly  dressed  is  apt  to  give  no 
pleasure  in  the  eating  or  in  the  bye-and-bye. 

Queen:  I  have  taken  it  in  hand.     I  have 


i8  The  Dragon 

a  good  headpiece!  I  put  out  a  call  with  run- 
ning lads,  and  with  the  army  captains  through 
the  whole  of  the  five  provinces ;  and  along  with 
that,  I  have  it  put  up  on  tablets  at  the  post 
office. 

Princess:  I  am  sorry  the  old  one  to  be  gone. 
To  remember  him  is  nearly  the  farthest  spot  in 
my  memory. 

Queen:  {Sharply,)  If  you  want  the  house 
to  be  under  your  hand  only,  it  is  best  for  you 
to  settle  into  one  of  your  own. 

Princess:  Give  me  the  little  rush  cabin  by 
the  stream  and  I'll  be  content. 

Queen:  If  you  mind  yourself  and  profit  by 
my  instruction  it  is  maybe  not  a  cabin  you  will 
be  moving  to  but  a  palace. 

Princess:  I'm  tired  of  palaces.  There  are 
too  many  people  in  them. 

Queen:  That  is  talking  folly.  When  you 
settle  yourself  it  must  be  in  the  station  where 
you  were  born. 

Princess:  I  have  no  mind  to  settle  myself 
yet  awhile. 

Nurse:  Ah,  you  will  not  be  saying  that  the 


The  Dragon  19 

time  Mr.  Right  will  come  down  the  chimney, 
and  will  give  you  the  marks  and  tokens  of  a 
king. 

Queen:  There  might  have  some  come  look- 
ing for  her  before  this,  if  it  was  not  for  you 
petting  and  pampering  her  the  way  you  do,  and 
encouraging  her  flightiness  and  follies.  It  is 
likely  she  will  get  no  offers  till  such  time  as  I 
will  have  taught  her  the  manners  and  the  right 
customs  of  courts. 

Nurse:  Sure  I  am  acquainted  with  courts 
myself.  Wasn't  it  I  fostered  comely  Manus 
that  is  presently  King  of  Sorcha,  since  his 
father  went  out  of  the  world  ?  And  as  to  lovers 
coming  to  look  for  her!  They  do  be  coming 
up  to  this  as  plenty  as  the  eye  could  hold  them, 
and  she  refusing  them,  and  they  laying  the 
blame  upon  the  King! 

King:  That  is  so,  they  laying  the  blame  up- 
on myself.  There  was  the  uncle  of  the  King 
of  Leinster ;  he  never  sent  me  another  car-load 
of  asparagus  from  the  time  you  banished  him 
away. 

Princess:  He  was  a  widower  man. 


20  The  Dragon 

King:  As  to  the  heir  of  Orkney,  since  the 
time  you  sent  him  to  the  right  about,  I  never 
got  so  much  as  a  conger  eel  from  his  hand. 

Princess:  As  dull  as  a  fish  he  was.  He  had 
a  fish's  eyes. 

King:  That  wasn't  so  with  the  champion  of 
the  merings  of  Ulster. 

Princess:  A  freckled  man.  He  had  hair 
the  colour  of  a  fox. 

King:  I  wish  he  didn't  stop  sending  me  his 
tribute  of  heather  beer. 

Queen:  It  is  a  poor  daughter  that  will  not 
wish  to  be  helpful  to  her  father. 

Princess:  If  I  am  to  wed  for  the  furnish- 
ing of  my  father's  table,  it's  as  good  for  you 
to  wrap  me  in  a  speckled  fawnskin  and  roast 
me! 

(Runs  out,  tossing  her  ball) 

Queen:  She  is  no  way  fit  for  marriage  unless 
with  a  herd  to  the  birds  of  the  air,  till  she  has 
a  couple  of  years  schooling. 

King:  It  would  be  hard  to  put  her  back  to 
that. 


The  Dragon  21 

Queen:  I  must  take  it  in  hand.  She  is  get- 
ting entirely  too  much  of  her  own  way. 

Nurse:  Leave  her  alone,  and  in  the  end  it 
will  be  a  good  way. 

Queen:  To  keep  rules  and  hours  she  must 
learn,  and  to  give  in  to  order  and  good  sense. 
(To  King.)  There  is  a  pigeon  messenger  I 
brought  from  Alban  I  am  about  to  let  loose  on 
this  day  with  news  of  myself  and  of  yourself. 
I  will  send  with  it  a  message  to  a  friend  I  have, 
bidding  her  to  make  ready  for  Nuala  a  place 
in  her  garden  of  learning  and  her  school. 

King:  That  is  going  too  fast.  There  is  no 
hurry. 

Queen:  She  is  seventeen  years.  There  is  no 
day  to  be  lost.    I  will  go  write  the  letter. 

Nurse:  Oh,  you  wouldn't  send  away  the 
poor  child ! 

Dall  Glic:  It  would  be  a  great  hardship  to 
send  her  so  far.    Our  poor  little  Princess  Nu ! 

Queen:  (Sharply.)  What  are  saying? 
(Dall  Glic  is  silent.) 

King:  I  would  not  wish  her  to  be  sent  out 
of  this. 


22  The  Dragon 

Queen:  There  is  no  other  way  to  set  her 
mind  to  sense  and  learning.  It  will  be  for  her 
own  good. 

Nurse:  Where's  the  use  troubling  her  with 
lessons  and  with  books  that  maybe  she  will 
never  be  in  need  of  at  all.  Speak  up  for  her, 
King. 

King:  Let  her  stop  for  this  year  as  she  is. 

Queen:  You  are  all  too  soft  and  too  easy. 
She  will  turn  on  you  and  will  blame  you  for  it, 
and  another  year  or  two  years  slipped  by. 

Nurse:  That  she  may! 

Dall  Glic:  Who  knows  what  might  take 
place  within  the  twelvemonth  that  is  coming? 

King:  Ah,  don't  be  talking  about  it.  Maybe 
it  never  might  come  to  pass. 

Dall  Glic:  It  will  come  to  pass,  if  there  is 
truth  in  the  clouds  of  sky. 

King:  It  will  not  be  for  a  year,  anyway. 
There'll  be  many  an  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the 
tide  within  a  year. 

Queen:  What  at  all  are  you  talking  about? 

King:  Ah,  where's  the  use  of  talking  too 
much. 


The  Dragon  23 

Queen:  Making  riddles  you  are,  and  striv- 
ing to  keep  the  meaning  from  your  comrade, 
that  is  myself. 

King:  It's  best  not  be  thinking  about  the 
thing  you  would  not  wish,  and  maybe  it  might 
never  come  around  at  all.  To  strive  to  forget 
a  threat  yourself,  it  might  maybe  be  forgotten 
by  the  universe. 

Queen:  Is  it  true  something  was  threatened? 

King:  How  would  I  know  is  anything  true, 
and  the  world  so  full  of  lies  as  it  is? 

Nurse:  That  is  so.  He  might  have  been 
wrong  in  his  foretelling.  What  is  he  in  the 
finish  but  an  old  prophecy? 

Dall  Glic:  Is  it  of  Fintan  you  are  saying 
that? 

Queen:  And  who,  will  you  tell  me,  is  Fintan? 

Dall  Glic:  Anyone  that  never  heard  tell  of 
Fintan  never  heard  anything  at  all. 

Queen:  His  name  was  not  up  on  the  tablets 
of  big  men  at  the  King  of  Alban's  Court,  or  of 
Britain. 

Nurse:  Ah,  sure  in  those  countries  they  are 
without  religion  or  belief. 


24  The  Dragon 

Queen:  Is  it  that  there  was  a  prophecy? 

King:  Don't  mind  it.  What  are  prophecies  ? 
Don't  we  hear  them  every  day  of  the  week? 
And  if  one  comes  true  there  may  be  seven  blind 
and  come  to  nothing. 

Queen:  {To  Dall  Glic.)  I  must  get  to  the 
root  of  this,  and  the  handle.  Who,  now,  is 
Fintan  ? 

Dall  Glic:  He  is  an  astrologer,  and  under- 
standing the  nature  of  the  stars. 

Nurse:  He  wore  out  in  his  lifetime  three 
eagles  and  three  palm  trees  and  three  earthen 
dykes.  It  is  down  in  a  cleft  of  the  rocks  be- 
yond he  has  his  dwelling  presently,  the  way 
he  can  be  watching  the  stars  through  the  day- 
time. 

Dall  Glic:  He  prophesied  in  a  prophecy,  and 
it  is  written  in  clean  letters  in  the  King's  yew- 
tree  box. 

King:  It  is  best  to  keep  it  out  of  sight.  It 
being  to  be,  it  will  be;  and,  if  not,  where's  the 
use  troubling  our  mind? 

Queen:  Sound  it  out  to  me. 

Dall    Glic:  {Looking    from    window    and 


The  Dragon  25 

drawing  curtain.)  There  is  no  story  in  the 
world  is  worse  to  me  or  more  pitiful ;  I  wouldn't 
wish  any  person  to  hear. 

Nurse:  Oh,  take  care  it  would  come  to  the 
ears  of  my  darling  Nu! 

Dall  Glic:  It  is  said  by  himself  and  the 
heavens  that  in  a  year  from  this  day  the  King's 
daughter  will  be  brought  away  and  devoured 
by  a  scaly  Green  Dragon  that  will  come  from 
the  North  of  the  World. 

Queen:  A  Dragon!  I  thought  you  were 
talking  of  some  danger.  I  wouldn't  give  in  to 
dragons.  I  never  saw  one.  I'm  not  in  dread 
of  beasts  unless  it  might  be  a  mouse  in  the 
night-time ! 

King:  Put  it  out  of  mind.  It  is  likely  any- 
way that  the  world  will  soon  be  ended  the  way 
it  is. 

Queen:  I  will  send  and  search  out  this  as- 
trologer and  will  question  him. 

Dall  Glic:  You  have  not  far  to  search.  He 
is  outside  at  the  kitchen  door  at  this  minute, 
and  as  if  questioning  after  something,  and  it 


26  The  Dragon 

a  half-score  and  seven  years  since  I  knew  him 
to  come  out  of  his  cave. 

King:  Do  not!  He  might  waken  up  the 
Dragon  and  put  him  in  mind  of  the  girl,  for  to 
make  his  own  foretelling  come  true. 

Nurse:  Ah,  such  a  thing  cannot  be!  The 
poor  innocent  child!     (Weeps.) 

Queen:  Where's  the  use  of  crying  and  roar- 
ing? The  thing  must  be  stopped  and  put  an 
end  to.  I  don't  say  I  give  in  to  your  story,  but 
that  would  be  an  unnatural  death.  I  would  be 
scandalized  being  stepmother  to  a  girl  that 
would  be  swallowed  by  a  sea-serpent! 

Nurse:  Ochone!  Don't  be  talking  of  it  at 
all! 

Queen:  At  the  King  of  Alban's  Court,  one 
of  the  /royal  family  to  die  over,  it  will  be 
naturally  on  a  pillow,  and  the  dead-bells  ring- 
ing, and  a  burying  with  white  candles,  and 
crape  on  the  knocker  of  the  door,  and  a  flag- 
stone put  over  the  grave.  What  way  could  we 
put  a  stone  or  so  much  as  a  rose-bush  over 
Nuala  and  she  in  the  inside  of  a  water-worm 


The  Dragon  27 

might  be  ploughing  its  way  down  to  the  north 
of  the  world? 

Nurse:  Och!  that  is  what  is  killing  me  en- 
tirely !    O  save  her,  save  her. 

King:  I  tell  you,  it  being  to  be,  it  will  be. 

Queen:  You  may  be  right,  so,  when  you 
would  not  go  to  the  expense  of  paying  her 
charges  at  the  Royal  school.  But  wait,  now, 
there  is  a  plan  coming  into  my  mind. 

Nurse:  There  must  surely  be  some  way! 

Queen:  It  is  likely  a  king's  daughter  the 
beast — if  there  is  a  beast — ^will  come  questing 
after,  and  not  after  a  king's  wife. 

Dall  Glic:  That  is  according  to  custom. 

Queen:  That's  what  I  am  saying.  What  we 
have  to  do  is  to  join  Nuala  with  a  man  of  a  hus- 
band, and  she  will  be  safe  from  the  danger 
ahead  of  her.  In  all  the  inventions  made  by 
poets,  for  to  put  terror  on  children  or  to  knock 
laughter  out  of  fools,  did  any  of  you  ever  hear 
of  a  Dragon  swallowing  the  wedding-ring? 

All:  We  never  did. 

Queen:  It's  easy  enough  so.  There  must  be 
no  delay  till  Nuala  will  be  married  and  wed 


28  The  Dragon 

with  someone  that  will  bring  her  away  out  of 
this,  and  let  the  Dragon  go  hungry  home ! 

Nurse:  That  she  may!  Isn't  it  a  pity  now 
she  being  so  hard  to  please ! 

Queen:  Young  people  are  apt  to  be  selfish 
and  to  have  no  thought  but  for  themselves. 
She  must  not  be  hard  to  please  when  it  will  be 
to  save  and  to  serve  her  family  and  to  keep  up 
respect  for  their  name.     Here  she  is  coming. 

Nurse:  Ah,  you  would  not  tell  her!  You 
would  not  put  the  dear  child  under  the  shadow 
of  such  a  terror  and  such  a  threat! 

King:  She  must  not  be  told.  I  never  could 
bear  up  against  it. 

{Nuala  comes  in.) 

Queen:  Look  now  at  your  father  the  way 
he  is. 

Princess:  {Touching  his  hand.)  What  is 
fretting  you? 

Queen:  His  heart  as  weighty  as  that  the 
chair  near  broke  under  him. 

Princess:  I  never  saw  you  this  way  before. 

Qu^een:  And  all  on  the  head  of  yourself! 


The  Dragon  29 

Princess:  I  am  sorry,  and  very  sorry,  for 
that. 

Queen:  He  is  loth  to  say  it  to  you,  but  he  is 
tired  and  wore  out  waiting  for  you  to  settle 
with  some  match.  See  what  a  troubled  look 
he  has  on  his  face. 

Princess:  (To  King.)  Is  it  that  you  want 
me  to  leave  you?  (He  gives  a  sob.)  (To  Ball 
Glic. )     Is  it  the  Queen  urged  him  to  this  ? 

Ball  Glic:  If  she  did,  it  was  surely  for  your 
good. 

Nurse:  Oh,  my  child  and  my  darling,  let 
you  strive  to  take  a  liking  to  some  good  man 
that  will  come! 

Princess:  Are  you  going  against  me  with 
the  rest? 

Nurse:  You  know  well  I  would  never  do 
that! 

Princess:  Do  you,  father,  urge  me  to  go? 

King:  They  are  in  too  big  a  hurry.  Why 
wouldn't  they  wait  a  while,  for  a  quarter,  or 
three-quarters  of  a  year. 

Princess:  Is  that  all  the  delay  I  am  given. 


30  The  Dragon 

and  the  term  is  set  for  me,  Hke  a  servant  that 
would  be  banished  from  the  house? 

King:  That's  not  it.  That's  not  right.  I 
would  never  give  in  to  let  you  go  ...  if  it 
wasn't  .  .  . 

Princess:  I  know.  (Stands  up.)  For  my 
own  good! 

(Trumpet  outside.) 

Gatekeeper:  (^Coming  in.)  There  is  com- 
pany at  the  door. 

Queen:  Who  is  it? 

Gatekeeper:  Servants,  and  a  company  of 
women,  and  one  that  would  seem  to  be  a  Prince, 
and  young. 

Princess:  Then  he  is  come  asking  me  in 
marriage. 

Dall  Glic:  Who  is  he  at  all? 

Gatekeeper:  They  were  saying  he  is  the  son 
of  the  King  of  the  Marshes. 

King:  Go  bring  him  in. 
(Gatekeeper  goes.) 

Dall  Glic:  That's  right!  He  has  great 
riches  and  treasure.  There  are  some  say  he  is 
the  first  match  in  Ireland. 


The  Dragon  31 

Nurse:  He  is  not.  If  his  father  has  a  cop- 
per crown,  and  our  own  King  a  silver  one,  it 
is  the  King  of  Sorcha  has  a  crown  of  gold! 
The  young  King  of  Sorcha  that  is  the  first 
match. 

Dall  Glic:  If  he  is,  this  one  is  apt  to  be  the 
second  first. 

Queen:  Do  you  hear,  Nuala,  what  luck  is 
flowing  to  you? 

Dall  Glic:  Do  not  now  be  turning  your  back 
on  him  as  you  did  to  so  many. 

Princess:  No;  whoever  he  is,  it  is  likely  I 
will  not  turn  away  from  this  one. 

Queen:  Go  now  and  ready  yourself  to  meet 
him. 

Princess:  Am  I  not  nice  enough  the  way 
I  am? 

Queen:  You  are  not.  The  King  of  Alban's 
daughter  has  hair  as  smooth  as  if  a  cow  had 
licked  it. 

{Princess  goes.) 

Gatekeeper:  Here  is  the  Prince  of  the 
Marshes ! 


32  The  Dragon 

(Enter  Prince,  very  young  and  timid, 
an  old  lady  on  each  side  slightly  in 
advance  of  him.) 

King:  A  great  welcome  before  you 

And  who  may  these  be? 

Prince:  Seven  aunts  I  have  .  .  . 

First  Aunt:  {Interrupting. )  If  he  has,  there 
are  but  two  of  us  have  come  along  with  him. 

Second  Aunt:  For  to  care  him  and  be  com- 
pany for  him  on  his  journey,  it  being  the  first 
time  he  ever  quitted  home. 

Queen:  This  is  a  great  honour.  Will  you 
take  a  chair  ? 

First  Aunt:  Leave  that  for  the  Prince  of 
the  Marshes.  It  is  away  from  the  draught  of 
the  window. 

Second  Aunt:  We  ourselves  are  in  charge 
of  his  health.  I  have  here  his  eel-skin  boots 
for  the  days  that  will  be  wet  under  foot. 

First  Aunt:  And  I  have  here  my  little  bag 
of  cures,  with  a  cure  in  it  that  would  rise  the 
body  out  of  the  grave  as  whole  and  as  sound 
as  the  time  you  were  born. 
{Lays  it  down.) 


The  Dragon  33 

King:  (To  Prince.)  It  is  many  a  day  your 
father  and  myself  were  together  in  our  early 
time.  What  way  is  he  ?  He  was  farther  out  in 
age  than  myself. 

Prince:  He  is  .  .  . 

First  Aunt:  (Interrupting.)  He  is  only 
middling  these  last  years.  The  doctors  have 
taken  him  in  hand. 

King:  He  was  more  for  fowling,  and  I 
was  more  for  horses — before  I  increased  so 
much  in  girth.  Is  it  for  horses  you  are, 
Prince? 

Prince:  I  didn't  go  up  on  one  up  to  this. 

First  Aunt:  Kings  and  princes  are  getting 
scarce.  They  are  the  most  class  is  wearing 
away,  and  it  is  right  for  them  keep  in  mind 
their  safety. 

Second  Aunt:  The  Prince  has  no  need  to 
go  upon  a  horse,  where  he  has  always  a  coach 
at  his  command. 

King:  It  is  fowling  that  suits  you  so? 

Prince:  I  would  be  well  pleased  .  .  . 

First  Aunt:  There  is  great  danger  going 


34  The  Dragon 

out  fowling  with  a  gun  that  might  turn  on  you 
after  and  take  your  life. 

Second  Aunt:  Why  would  the  Prince  go  into 
danger,  having  servants  that  will  go  following 
after  birds? 

Queen:  He  is  likely  waiting  till  his  enemies 
will  make  an  attack  upon  the  country  to  defend 
It. 

First  Aunt:  There  is  a  good  dyke  around 
about  the  marshes,  and  a  sort  of  quaking  bog. 
It  is  not  likely  war  will  come  till  such  time  as 
it  will  be  made  by  the  birds  of  the  air. 

King:  Well,  we  must  strive  to  knock  out 
some  sport  or  some  pleasure. 

Prince:  It  was  not  on  pleasure  I  was  sent. 

First  Aunt:  That's  so,  but  on  business. 

Second  Aunt:  Very  weighty  business. 

King:  Let  the  lad  tell  it  out  himself. 

Prince:  I  hope  there  is  no  harm  in  me  com- 
ing hither.    I  would  be  loth  to  push  on  you  .  .  . 

First  Aunt:  We  thought  it  was  right,  as  he 
was  come  to  sensible  years  .  .  . 

King:  Stop  a  minute,  ma'am,  give  him  his 
time. 


The  Dragon  35 

Prince:  My  father  .  .  .  and  his  counsel- 
lors .  .  .  and  my  seven  aunts  .  .  .  that  said 
it  would  be  right  for  me  to  join  with  a  wife. 

Queen:  They  showed  good  sense  in  that. 

Prince:  (Rapidly.)  They  bade  me  come 
and  take  a  look  at  your  young  lady  of  a  Prin- 
cess to  see  would  she  be  likely  to  be  pleasing 
to  them. 

First  Aunt:  That's  it,  and  that  is  what 
brought  ourselves  along  with  him — to  see 
would  we  be  satisfied. 

King:  I  don't  know.  The  girl  is  young — 
she's  young. 

First  Aunt:  It  is  what  we  were  saying,  that 
might  be  no  drawback.  It  might  be  easier  train 
her  in  our  own  ways,  and  to  do  everything  that 
is  right. 

King:  Sure  we  are  all  wishful  to  do  the  thing 
that  is  right,  but  it's  sometimes  hard  to  know. 

Second  Aunt:  Not  in  our  place.  What  the 
King  of  the  Marshes  would  not  know,  his  coun- 
sellors and  ourselves  would  know. 

Queen:  It  will  be  very  answerable  to  the 
Princess  to  be  under  such  good  guidance. 


36  The  Dragon 

First  Aunt:  For  low  people  and  for  mid- 
dling people  it  is  well  enough  to  follow  their 
own  opinion  and  their  will.  But  for  the 
Prince's  wife  to  have  any  choice  or  any  will 
of  her  own,  the  people  would  not  believe  her  to 
be  a  real  princess. 

(Princess  comes  to  door,  listening  un- 
seen.) 
King:  Ah,  you  must  not  be  too  strict  with 
a  girl  that  has  life  in  her. 

Prince:  My  seven  aunts  that  were  saying 
they  have  a  great  distrust  of  any  person  that  is 
lively. 

First  Aunt:  We  would  rather  than  the 
greatest  beauty  in  the  world  get  him  a  wife 
who  would  be  content  to  stop  in  her  home. 

(Princess  comes  in  very  stately  and 
with  a  fine  dress.  She  curtseys. 
Aunts  curtsey  and  sit  down  again. 
Prince  bows  uneasily  and  sidles 
away-) 
First  Aunt:  Will  you  sit,  now,  between  the 
two  of  us? 

Princess:  It  is  tnor^  fitting  for  a  young  girl 


The  Dragon  S7 

to  stay  in  her  standing  in  the  presence  of  a 
king's  kindred  and  his  son,  since  he  is  come 
so  far  to  look  for  me. 

Second  Aunt:  That  is  a  very  nice  thought. 

Princess:  My  far-off  grandmother,  the  old 
people  were  telling  me,  never  sat  at  the  table 
to  put  a  bit  in  her  mouth  till  such  time  as  her 
lord  had  risen  up  satisfied.  She  was  that  obedi- 
ent to  him  that  if  he  had  bidden  her,  she  would 
have  laid  down  her  hand  upon  red  coals. 
{Prince  looks  bored  and  fidgets,) 

First  Aunt:  Very  good  indeed. 

Princess:  That  was  a  habit  with  my  grand- 
mother.   I  would  wish  to  follow  in  her  ways. 

King:  This  is  some  new  talk. 

Queen:  Stop;  she  is  speaking  fair  and  good. 

Princess:  A  little  verse,  made  by  some  good 
wife,  I  used  to  be  learning.  ''I  always  should: 
Be  very  good :  At  home  should  mind :  My  hus- 
band kind:  Abroad  obey:  What  people  say." 

First  Aunt:  (Getting  up.)  To  travel  the 
world,  I  never  thought  to  find  such  good  sense 
before  me.    Do  you  hear  that.  Prince? 


38  The  Dragon 

Prince:  Sure  I  often  heard  yourselves  shap- 
ing that  sort. 

Second  Aunt:  Fll  engage  the  royal  family 
will  make  no  objection  to  this  young  lady  tak- 
ing charge  of  your  house. 

Princess:  I  can  do  that!  (Counts  on  fin- 
gers.) To  send  linen  to  the  washing- tub  on 
Monday,  and  dry  it  on  Tuesday,  and  to  mangle 
it  Wednesday,  and  starch  it  Thursday,  and 
iron  it  Friday,  and  fold  it  in  the  press  against 
Sunday ! 

Second  Aunt:  Indeed  there  is  little  to  learn 
you !  And  on  Sundays,  now,  you  will  go  driv- 
ing in  a  painted  coach,  and  your  dress  sewed 
with  gold  and  with  pearls,  and  the  poor  of  the 
world  envying  you  on  the  road. 

Queen:  (Claps  hands.)  There  is  no  one  but 
must  envy  her,  and  all  that  is  before  her  for 
her  lifetime! 

First  Aunt:  Here  is  the  golden  arm-ring 
the  Prince  brought  for  to  slip  over  your  hand. 

Second  Aunt:  It  was  put  on  all  our  genera- 
tions of  queens  at  the  time  of  the  making  of 
their  match. 


The  Dragon  39 

Princess:  (Drawing  back  her  hand.)  Mine 
is  not  made  yet. 

First  Aunt:  Didn't  you  hear  me  saying,  and 
the  Prince  saying,  there  is  nothing  could  be 
laid  down  against  it. 

Princess:  There  is  one  thing  against  it. 

Queen:  Oh,  there  can  be  nothing  worth 
while ! 

Princess:  A  thing  you  would  think  a  great 
drawback  and  all  your  kindred  would  think  it. 

Queen:  {Rapidly,)  There  is  nothing,  but 
maybe  that  she  is  not  so  tall  as  you  might  think, 
through  the  length  of  the  heels  of  her  shoes. 

Second  Aunt:  We  would  put  up  with  that 
much. 

Princess:  {Rapidly.)  It  is  that  there  was 
a  spell  put  upon  me — by  a  water-witch  that  was 
of  my  kindred.  At  some  hours  of  the  day  I  am 
as  you  see  me,  but  at  other  hours  I  am  changed 
into  a  sea-filly  from  the  Country-under-Wave. 
And  when  I  smell  salt  on  the  west  wind  I  must 
race  and  race  and  race.  And  when  I  hear  the 
call  of  the  gulls  or  the  sea-eagles  over  my  head, 
I  must  leap  up  to  meet  them  till  I  can  hardly 


40  The  Dragon 

tell  what  is  my  right  element,  is  it  the  high  air 
or  is  it  the  loosened  spring-tide ! 

Queen:  Stop  your  nonsense  talk.  She  is 
gone  wild  and  raving  with  the  great  luck  that 
is  come  to  her! 

{Prince  has  stood  up,  and  is  watching 
her  eagerly.) 

Princess:  I  feel  a  wind  at  this  very  time  that 
is  blowing  from  the  wilderness  of  the  sea,  and 
I  am  changing  with  it.  .  .  .  There.  {Pulls 
down  her  hair, )  Let  my  mane  go  free !  I  will 
race  you,  Prince,  I  will  race  you!  The  wind  of 
March  will  not  overtake  me.  Prince,  and  I  run- 
ning on  the  top  of  the  white  waves! 

{Runs  out;  Prince  entranced,  rushes  to 
door.) 

Aunts:  {Catching  hold  of  him.)  Are  you 
going  mad  wild  like  herself  ? 

Prince:  Oh,  I  will  go  after  her! 

First  Aunt:  {Clutching  him.)  Do  not!  She 
will  drag  you  to  destruction. 

Prince:  {Struggling  to  door.)  What  mat- 
ter !    Let  me  go  or  she  will  escape  me !    {Shak- 


The  Dragon  41 

ing  himself  free,)    I  will  never  stop  till  I  come 
to  her. 

(He  rushes  out,  Second  Aunt  still  hold- 
ing on  to  him.) 

First  Aunt:  What  at  all  has  come  upon  him? 
I  never  knew  him  this  way  before! 
(She  trots  after  him.) 

Princess:  (Comes  leaping  in  by  window.) 
They  are  gone  running  the  road  to  Muckanish ! 
But  they  won't  find  me ! 

Queen:  You  have  a  right  to  be  ashamed  of 
yourself  and  your  play-game.  It's  easy  for  you 
to  go  joking,  having  neither  cark  nor  care :  that 
is  no  way  to  treat  the  second  best  match  in 
Ireland ! 

King:  You  were  saying  you  had  your  mind 
made  up  to  take  him. 

Princess:  It  failed  me  to  do  it!  Himself 
and  his  counsellors  and  his  seven  aunts ! 

Queen:  He  will  give  out  that  you  are  crazed 
and  mad. 

Princess:  He  will  be  thankful  to  his  life''s 
end  to  have  got  free  of  me ! 

King:  I  don't  know.     It  seemed  to  me  he 


42  The  Dragon 

was  better  pleased  with  you  in  the  finish  than 
in  the  commencement.  But  I'm  in  dread  his 
father  may  not  be  well  pleased. 

Princess:  (Patting  him.)  Which  now  of 
the  two  of  you  is  the  most  to  be  pitied?  He  to 
have  such  a  timid  son  or  you  to  have  such  an 
unruly  daughter? 

Queen:  It  is  likely  he  will  make  an  attack 
on  you.  There  was  a  war  made  by  the  King 
of  Britain  on  the  head  of  a  terrier  pup  that  was 
sent  to  him  and  that  made  away  on  the  road 
following  hares.  It's  best  for  you  to  make 
ready  to  put  yourself  at  the  head  of  your  troop. 

King:  It's  long  since  I  went  into  my  battle 
dress.  I'm  in  dread  it  would  not  close  upon 
my  chest. 

Queen:  Ah,  it  might,  so  soon  as  you  would 
go  through  a  few  hardships  in  the  fight. 

King:  If  the  rest  of  Adam's  race  was  of  my 
opinion  there'd  be  no  fighting  in  the  world  at 
all. 

Queen:  It  is  this  child's  stubbornness  is  lead- 
ing you  into  it.     Go  out,  Nuala,  after  the 


The  Dragon  43 

Prince.  Tell  him  you  are  sorry  you  made  a 
fool  of  him. 

Princess:  He  was  that  before — thinking  to 
put  me  sitting  and  sewing  in  a  cushioned  chair, 
listening  to  stories  of  kings  making  a  slaughter 
of  one  another. 

Queen:  Tell  him  you  have  changed  your 
mind,  that  you  were  but  funning;  that  you  will 
wed  with  him  yet. 

Princess:  I  would  sooner  wed  with  the 
King  of  Poison !  I  to  have  to  go  to  his  king- 
dom, Fd  sooner  go  earning  my  wages  footing 
turf,  with  a  skirt  of  heavy  flannel  and  a  dress 
of  the  grey  frieze!  Himself  and  his  bogs  and 
his  frogs ! 

Queen:  I  tell  you  it  is  time  for  you  to  take 
a  husband. 

Princess:  You  said  that  before !  And  I  was 
giving  in  a  while  ago,  and  I  felt  the  blood  of 
my  heart  to  be  rising  against  it!  And  I  will 
not  give  in  to  you  again!  It  is  my  own  busi- 
ness and  I  will  take  my  own  way. 

Queen:  {To  King.)  This  is  all  one  with 
the  raving  of  a  hag  against  heaven! 


44  The  Dragon 

King:  What  the  Queen  is  saying  is  right 
Try  now  and  come  around  to  it. 

Princess:  She  has  set  you  against  me  with 
her  talk! 

Queen:  (To  King.)  It  is  best  for  you  to  lay 
orders  on  her. 

Princess:  The  King  is  not  under  your 
orders ! 

Queen:  You  are  striving  to  make  him  give 
in  to  your  own ! 

King:  I  will  take  orders  from  no  one  at  all ! 

Queen:  Bid  her  go  bring  back  the  Prince. 

Princess:  I  say  that  I  will  not ! 

Queen:  She  is  standing  up  against  you! 
Will  you  give  in  to  that? 

King:  I  am  bothered  with  the  whole  of  you! 
I  will  give  in  to  nothing  at  all ! 

Queen:  Make  her  do  your  bidding  so. 

King:  Can't  you  do  as  you  are  told? 

Princess:  This  concerns  myself. 

King:  It  does,  and  the  whole  of  us. 

Princess:  Do  you  think  you  can  force  me 
to  wed? 

King:  I  do  think  it,  and  I  will  do  it. 


The  Dragon  45 

Princess:  It  will  fail  you ! 

King:  It  will  not!  I  was  too  easy  with  you 
up  to  this. 

Princess:  Will  you  turn  me  out  of  the 
house  ? 

King:  I  will  give  you  my  word,  it  is  little 
but  I  will ! 

Princess:  Then  I  have  no  home  and  no 
father!  It  is  to  my  mother  you  must  give  an 
account.  You  know  well  it  is  with  the  first 
wife  you  will  go  at  the  Judgment! 

Queen:  Is  it  that  you  would  make  threats 
to  the  King?  And  put  insults  upon  myself? 
Now  she  is  daring  and  defying  you !  Let  you 
put  an  end  to  it ! 

i^m^;  I  will  do  that!  {Stands  up.)  I  swear 
by  the  oath  my  people  swear  by,  the  seven 
things  common  to  us  all ;  by  sun  and  moon ;  sea 
and  dew ;  wind  and  water ;  the  hours  of  the  day 
and  night,  I  will  give  you  in  marriage  and  in 
wedlock  to  the  first  man  that  will  come  into  the 
house ! 

Princess:  {Shrinking  as  from  a  blow,)  It 
is  the  Queen  has  done  this. 


46  The  Dragon 

Queen:  I  will  give  you  out  the  reason,  and 
see  will  you  put  blame  on  me  or  praise! 

Nurse:  Oh,  let  you  stop  and  not  draw  it 
down  upon  her ! 

Queen:  It  is  right  for  me  to  tell  it;  it  is  true 
telling!  You  not  to  be  married  and  wed  by 
this  day  twelvemonth,  there  will  be  a  terrible 
thing  happen  you  .  .  . 

Nurse:  Be  quiet!  Don't  you  see  Fintan 
himself  looking  in  the  window! 

King:  Fintan!  What  is  it  bring  you  here 
on  this  day? 

Fintan:  (A  very  old  man  in  strange  clothes 
at  window.)  What  brings  me  is  to  put  my 
curse  upon  the  whole  tribe  of  kitchen  boys  that 
are  gone  and  vanished  out  of  this,  without 
bringing  me  my  request,  that  was  a  bit  of  ren- 
dered lard  that  would  limber  the  swivel  of  my 
spy-glass,  that  is  clogged  with  the  dripping  of 
the  cave. 

Nurse:  And  you  have  no  bad  news? 

Queen:  Nothing  to  say  on  the  head  of  the 
Princess,  this  being,  as  it  is,  her  birthday? 

Fintan:  What    birthday?     This    is    not    a 


The  Dragon  47 

birthday  that  signifies.  It  is  the  next  will  be 
the  birthday  will  be  concerned  with  the  great 
story  that  is  foretold. 

Queen:  It  is  right  for  her  to  know  it. 

King:  It  is  not!    It  is  not! 

Princess:  Whatever  the  story  is,  let  me 
know  it,  and  not  be  treated  as  a  child  that  is 
without  courage  or  sense. 

Fintan:  It's  long  till  Til  come  out  from  my 
cleft  again,  and  getting  no  peace  or  quiet  on 
the  ridge  of  the  earth.  It  is  laid  down  by  the 
stars  that  cannot  lie,  that  on  this  day  twelve- 
month, you  yourself  will  be  ate  and  devoured 
by  a  scaly  Green  Dragon  from  the  North! 

END  OF  ACT   I. 


ACT  II 


ACT  II 

Scene:   The  Same,    Princess  and  Nurse. 

Nurse:  Cheer  up  now,  my  honey  bird,  and 
don't  be  fretting. 

Princess:  It  is  not  easy  to  quit  fretting,  and 
the  terrible  story  you  are  after  telling  me  of 
all  that  is  before  and  all  that  is  behind  me. 

Nurse:  They  had  no  right  at  all  to  go  make 
you  aware  of  it.  The  Queen  has  too  much 
talk.    An  unlucky  stepmother  she  is  to  you ! 

Princess:  It  is  well  for  me  she  is  here.    It  is 

well  I  am  told  the  truth,  where  the  whole  of 

you  were  treating  me  like  a  child  without  sense, 

so  giddy  I  was  and  contrary,  and  petted  and 

humoured  by  the  whole  of  you.    What  memory 

would  there  be  left  of  me  and  my  little  life  gone 

by,  but  of  a  headstrong,  unruly  child  with  no 

thought  but  for  myself. 

Nurse:  No,  but  the  best  in  the  world  you 
51 


52  The  Dragon 

are;  there  is  no  one  seeing  you  pass  by  but 
would  love  you. 

Princess:  That  is  not  so.  I  was  wild  and 
taking  my  own  way,  mocking  and  humbugging. 

Nurse.  I  never  will  give  in  that  there  is  no 
way  to  save  you  from  that  Dragon  that  is  fore- 
told to  be  your  destruction.  I  would  give  the 
four  divisions  of  the  world,  and  Ireland  along 
with  them,  if  I  could  see  you  pelting  your  ball 
in  at  the  window  the  same  as  an  hour  ago ! 

Princess:  Maybe  you  will,  so  long  as  it  will 
hurt  nobody. 

Nurse:  Ah,  sure  it's  no  wonder  there  to  be 
the  tracks  of  tears  upon  your  face,  and  that 
great  terror  before  you. 

Princess:  I  will  wipe  them  away !  I  will  not 
give  in  to  danger  or  to  dragons !  No  one  will 
see  a  dark  face  on  me.  I  am  a  king's  daughter 
of  Ireland,  I  did  not  come  out  of  a  herd's  hut 
like  Deirdre  that  went  sighing  and  lamenting 
till  she  was  put  to  death,  the  world  being  sick 
and  tired  of  her  complaints,  and  her  finger  at 
her  eye  dripping  tears ! 


The  Dragon  53 

Nurse:  That's  right,  now.  You  had  always 
great  courage. 

Princess:  There  is  like  a  change  within  me. 
You  never  will  hear  a  cross  word  from  me 
again.  I  would  wish  to  be  pleasant  and  peace- 
able until  such  time  .  .  . 

{Puts  handkerchief  to  eyes  and  goes.) 

Ball  Glic:  {Coming  in.)  The  King  is 
greatly  put  out  with  all  he  went  through,  and 
the  way  the  passion  rose  in  him  a  while  ago. 

Nurse:  That  he  may  be  twenty  times  worse 
before  he  is  better!  Showing  such  fury  to- 
wards the  innocent  child  the  way  he  did! 

Ball  Glic:  The  Queen  has  brought  him  to 
the  grass  plot  for  to  give  him  his  exercise, 
walking  his  seven  steps  east  and  west. 

Nurse:  Hasn't  she  great  power  over  him  to 
make  him  do  that  much? 

Ball  Glic:  I  tell  you  I  am  in  dread  of  her 
myself.  Some  plan  she  has  for  making  my  two 
eyes  equal.  I  vexed  her  someway,  and  she  got 
queer  and  humpy,  and  put  a  lip  on  herself,  and 
said  she  would  take  me  in  hand.  I  declare  I 
never  will  have  a  minute's  ease  thinking  of  it. 


54  The  Dragon 

Nurse:  The  King  should  have  done  his 
seven  steps,  for  I  hear  her  coming. 

{Dall  Glic  goes  to  recess  of  window.) 

Queen:  {Coming  in.)  Did  you,  Nurse,  ever 
at  any  time  turn  and  dress  a  dinner? 

Nurse:  {Very  stiff-)  Indeed  I  never  did. 
Any  house  I  ever  was  in  there  was  a  good  kit- 
chen and  well  attended,  the  Lord  be  praised! 

Queen:  Ah,  but  just  to  be  kind  and  to  oblige 
the  King. 

Nurse:  Troth,  the  same  King  will  wait  long 
till  he'll  see  any  dish  I  will  ready  for  him !  I 
am  not  one  that  was  reared  between  the  flags 
and  the  oven  in  the  corner  of  the  one  room! 
To  be  a  nurse  to  King's  children  is  my  trade, 
and  not  to  go  stirring  mashes,  for  hens  or  for 
humans ! 

Queen:  I  heard  a  crafty  woman  lay  down 
one  time  there  was  no  way  to  hold  a  man,  only 
by  food  and  flattery. 

Nurse:  Sure  any  mother  of  children  walk- 
ing the  road  could  tell  you  that  much. 

Queen:  I  went  maybe  too  far  urging  him 
not  to  lessen  so  much  food  the  way  he  did.    I 


The  Dragon  55 

only  thought  to  befriend  him.  But  now  he  is 
someway  upset  and  nothing  will  rightly  smooth 
him  but  to  be  thinking  upon  his  next  meal ;  and 
what  it  will  be  I  don't  know,  unless  the  berries 
of  the  bush. 

Dall  Glic:  {Leaning  out  of  the  window.) 
Here!  Hi!  Come  this  way! 

Queen:  Who  are  you  calling  to? 

Dall  Glic:  It  is  someone  with  the  appear- 
ance of  a  cook. 

Queen:  Are  you  saying  it  is  a  cook?    That 
now  will  put  the  King  in  great  humour ! 
{Manus  appears  at  the  window,) 

Nurse:  {Looking  at  him.)  I  wouldn't 
hardly  think  he'd  suit.  He  has  a  sort  of  inno- 
cent look.  I  wouldn't  say  him  to  be  a  country 
lad.  I  don't  know  is  he  fitted  to  go  readying 
meals  for  a  royal  family,  and  the  King  so 
wrathful  if  they  do  not  please  him  as  he  is. 
And  as  to  the  Princess  Nu!  There  to  be  the 
size  of  a  hayseed  of  fat  overhead  on  her  broth, 
she'd  fall  in  a  dead  faint. 

Manus:  I'll  go  on  so. 


^6  The  Dragon 

Queen:  No,  no.     Bring  him  in  till  I'll  take 
a  look  at  him ! 

Manus:  (Coming  inside.)     I  am  a  lad  in 
search  of  a  master. 

Manus:  (Inside.)     I  am  a  lad  in  search  of 
a  master. 

Queen:  And  I  myself  that  am  wanting  a 
cook. 

Manus:  I  got  word  of  that  and  I  going  the 
road. 

Queen:  You  would  seem  to  be  but  a  young 
lad. 

Manus:  I  am  not  very  far  in  age  to-day. 
But  I'll  be  a  day  older  to-morrow. 

Queen:  In  what  country  were  you  born  and 
reared? 

Manus:  I  came  from  over,  and  I  am  coming 
hither. 

Queen:  What  wages  now  would  you  be 
asking? 

Manus:  Nothing  at  all  unless  what  you 
think  I  will  have  earned  at  the  time  I  will  be 
leaving  your  service. 

Queen:  That  is  very  right  and  fair.    I  hope 


The  Dragon  57 

you  will  not  be  asking  too  much  help.  The  last 
cook  had  a  whole  fleet  of  scullions  that  were  no 
use  but  to  chatter  and  consume. 

Manus:  I  am  asking  no  help  at  all  but  the 
help  of  the  ten  I  bring  with  me. 
(Holds  up  fingers.) 

Queen:  That  will  be  a  great  saving  in  the 
house !  Can  I  depend  upon  you  now  not  to  be 
turning  to  your  own  use  the  King's  ale  and 
his  wine? 

Manus:  If  you  take  me  to  be  a  thief  I  will 
go  upon  my  road.  It  was  no  easier  for  me  to 
come  than  to  go  out  again. 

Queen:  (Holding  him.)  No,  now,  don't  be 
so  proud  and  thinking  so  much  of  yourself. 
If  I  give  you  trial  here  I  would  wish  you  to  be 
ready  to  turn  your  hand  to  this  and  that,  and 
not  be  saying  it  is  or  is  not  your  business. 

Manus:  My  business  is  to  do  as  the  King 
wishes. 

Queen:  That's  right.  That  is  the  way  the 
servants  were  in  the  palace  of  the  King  of 
Alban. 


58  The  Dragon 

Manus:  That's  the  way  I  was  myself  in  the 
King's  house  of  Sorcha. 

Queen:  Are  you  saying  it  is  from  that  place 
you  are  come?  Sure  that  should  be  a  great 
household!  The  King  of  Sorcha,  they  were 
telling  me,  has  seven  castles  on  land  and  seven 
on  the  sea,  and  provision  for  a  year  and  a  day 
in  every  one  of  them. 

Manus:  That  might  be.  I  never  was  in 
more  than  one  of  them  at  the  one  time. 

Queen:  Anyone  that  has  been  in  that  place 
would  surely  be  fitting  here.  Keep  him,  Nurse ! 
Don't  let  him  make  away  from  us  till  I  will  go 
call  the  King! 

{Goes  out,) 

Nurse:  Sure  it  was  I  myself  that  fostered 
the  young  King  of  Sorcha  and  reared  him  in 
my  lap!  What  way  is  he  at  all?  My  lovely 
child !    Give  me  news  of  him  I 

Manus:  I  will  do  that  .  .  . 

Nurse:  To  hear  of  him  would  delight  me! 

Manus:  It  is  I  that  can  tell  you.  .  .  . 

Nurse:  It  is  himself  should  be  a  grand  king! 

Manus:  Listen  till  you  hear!  .    .    . 


The  Dragon  59 

Nurse:  His  father  was  good  and  his  mother 
was  good,  and  it's  likely,  himself  will  be  the 
best  of  all! 

Manus:  Be  quiet  now  and  hearken!  .  .  . 

Nurse:  I  remember  well  the  first  day  I  saw 
him  in  the  cradle,  two  and  a  score  of  years 
back!  Oh,  it  is  glad,  and  very  glad,  I'll  be  to 
get  word  of  him ! 

Manus:  He  is  come  to  sensible  years.  .  .  . 

Nurse:  A  golden  cradle  it  was  and  it  stand- 
ing on  four  golden  balls  the  very  round  of  the 
sun! 

Manus:  He  is  out  of  his  cradle  now. 
( Shakes  her  shoulder. )  Let  you  hearken !  He 
is  in  need  of  your  help. 

Nurse:  He'll  get  it,  he'll  get  it.  I  doted 
down  on  that  child!  The  best  to  laugh  and  to 
roar! 

Manus:  {Putting  hand  on  her  mouth.) 
Will  you  be  silent,  you  hag  of  a  nurse?  Can't 
you  see  that  I  myself  am  Manus,  the  new  King 
of  Sorcha? 

Nurse:  (Starting  back.)  Do  you  say  that? 
And  how's  every  bit  of  you?    Sure  I'd  know 


6o  The  Dragon 

you  in  any  place.  Stand  back  till  FU  get  the 
full  of  my  eyes  of  you!  Like  the  father  you 
are,  and  you  need  never  be  sorry  to  be  that! 
Well,  I  said  to  myself  and  you  looking  in  at  the 
window,  I  would  not  believe  but  there's  some 
drop  of  kings'  blood  in  that  lad ! 

Manus:  That  was  not  what  you  said  to  me ! 

Nurse:  And  wasn't  the  journey  long  on  you 
from  Sorcha,  that  is  at  the  rising  of  the  sun? 
Is  it  your  foot-soldiers  and  your  bullies  you 
brought  with  you,  or  did  you  come  with  your 
hound  and  your  deer-hound  and  with  your 
horn? 

Manus:  There  was  no  one  knew  of  my  jour- 
ney. I  came  bare  alone.  I  threw  a  shell  in  the 
sea  and  made  a  boat  of  it,  and  took  the  track 
of  the  wild  duck  across  the  mountains  of  the 
waves. 

Nurse:  And  where  in  the  world  wide  did 
you  get  that  dress  of  a  cook? 

Manus:  It  was  at  a  tailor's  place  near 
Oughtmana.  There  was  no  one  in  the  house 
but  the  mother.  I  left  my  own  clothes  in  her 
charge  and  my  purse  of  gold;  I  brought  noth- 


The  Dragon  6i 

ing  but  my  own  blue  sword.  (Throws  open 
blouse  and  shows  it.)  She  gave  me  this  suit, 
where  a  cook  from  this  house  had  thrown  it 
down  in  payment  for  a  drink  of  milk.  I  have 
no  mind  any  person  should  know  I  am  a  king. 
I  am  letting  on  to  be  a  cook. 

Nurse:  I  would  sooner  you  to  come  as  a 
champion  seeking  battle,  or  a  horseman  that 
had  gone  astray,  or  so  far  as  a  poet  making 
praises  or  curses  according  to  his  treatment  on 
the  road.  It  would  be  a  bad  day  I  would  see 
your  father's  son  taken  for  a  kitchen  boy. 

Manus:  I  was  through  the  world  last  night 
in  a  dream.  It  was  dreamed  to  me  that  the 
King's  daughter  in  this  house  is  in  a  great 
danger. 

Nurse:  So  she  is,  at  the  end  of  a  twelve- 
month. 

Manus:  My  warning  was  for  this  day.  See- 
ing her  under  trouble  in  my  dream,  my  heart 
was  hot  to  come  to  her  help.  I  am  here  to  save 
her,  to  meet  every  troublesome  thing  that  will 
come  at  her. 


62  The  Dragon 

Nurse:  Oh,  my  heavy  blessing  on  you  doing 
that! 

Manus:  I  was  not  willing  to  come  as  a  king, 
that  she  would  feel  tied  and  bound  to  live  for 
if  I  live,  or  to  die  with  if  I  should  die.  I  am 
come  as  a  poor  unknown  man,  that  may  slip 
away  after  the  fight,  to  my  own  kingdom  or 
across  the  borders  of  the  world,  and  no  thanks 
given  him  and  no  more  about  him,  but  a  mem- 
ory of  the  shadow  of  a  cook! 

Nurse:  I  would  not  think  that  to  be  right, 
and  you  the  last  of  your  race.  It  is  best  for 
you  to  tell  the  King. 

Manus:  I  lay  my  orders  on  you  to  tell  no 
one  at  all. 

Nurse:  Give  me  leave  but  to  whisper  it  to 
the  Princess  Nu.  It's  ye  would  be  the  finest 
two  the  world  ever  saw.  You  will  not  find  her 
equal  in  all  Ireland! 

Manus:  1  lay  it  as  crosses  and  as  spells  on 
you  to  say  no  word  to  her  or  to  any  other  that 
will  make  known  my  race  or  my  name.  Give 
me  now  your  oath. 


The  Dragon  63 

Nurse:  (Kneeling.)  I  do,  I  do.  But  they 
will  know  you  by  your  high  looks. 

Manus:  Did  you  yourself  know  me  a  while 
ago? 

Nurse:  (Getting  up.)  Oh,  they're  coming! 
Oh,  my  poor  child,  what  way  will  you  that 
never  handled  a  spit  be  able  to  make  out  a  din- 
ner for  the  King? 

Manus:  This  silver  whistle,  that  was  her 
pipe  of  music,  was  given  to  me  by  a  queen 
among  the  Sidhe  that  is  my  godmother.  At 
the  sound  of  it  there  will  come  through  the  air 
any  earthly  thing  I  wish  for,  at  my  command. 

Nurse:  Let  it  be  a  dinner  so. 

Manus:  So  it  will  come,  on  a  green  table- 
cloth carried  by  four  swans  as  white  as  snow. 
The  freshest  of  every  meat,  the  oldest  of  every 
drink,  nuts  from  the  trees  in  Adam's  Paradise ! 
(King,  Queen,  Princess,  Dall  Glic  come 
in.    Princess  sits  on  window  sill.) 

Queen:  (To  King.)  Here  now,  my  dear. 
Wasn't  I  telling  you  I  would  take  all  trouble 
from  your  mind,  and  that  I  would  not  be  with- 
out finding  a  cook  for  you? 


64  The  Dragon 

King:  He  came  in  a  good  hour.  The  want 
of  a  right  dinner  has  downed  kingdoms  before 
this. 

Queen:  Travelling  he  is  in  search  of  service 
from  the  kings  of  the  earth.  His  wages  are  in 
no  way  out  of  measure. 

King:  Is  he  a  good  hand  at  his  trade? 

Queen:  Honest  he  is,  I  believe,  and  ready  to 
give  a  hand  here  and  there. 

King:  What  way  does  he  handle  flesh,  Td 
wish  to  know?  And  all  that  comes  up  from 
the  tide?  Bream,  now;  that  is  a  fish  is  very 
pleasant  to  me — stewed  or  fried  with  butter  till 
the  bones  of  it  melt  in  your  mouth.  There  is 
nothing  in  sea  or  strand  but  is  the  better  of  a 
quality  cook — only  oysters,  that  are  best  left 
alone,  being  as  they  are  all  gravy  and  fat. 

Queen:  I  didn't  question  him  yet  about 
cookery. 

King:  It's  seldom  I  met  a  woman  with  right 
respect  for  food,  but  for  show  and  silly  dishes 
and  trash  that  would  leave  you  in  the  finish  as 
dwindled  as  a  badger  on  St.  Bridget's  day. 

Queen:  If  this  youth  of  a  young  man  was 


The  Dragon  65 

able  to  give  satisfaction  at  the  King  of  Sor- 
cha's  Court,  I  am  sure  that  he  will  make  a  din- 
ner to  please  yourself. 

Manns:  I  will  do  more  than  that.  I  will 
dress  a  dinner  that  will  please  m>'self. 

Princess:  {Clapping  hands,)  Very  well 
said! 

King:  Sound  out  now  some  good  dishes  such 
as  you  used  to  be  giving  in  Sorcha,  and  the 
Queen  will  put  them  down  in  a  line  of  writing, 
that  I  can  be  thinking  about  them  till  such  time 
as  you  will  have  them  readied. 

Queen:  There  are  sheeps'  trotters  below; 
you  might  know  some  tasty  way  to  dress  them. 

Manus:  I  do  surely.  I'll  put  the  trotters 
within  a  fowl,  and  the  fowl  within  a  goose,  and 
the  goose  in  a  suckling  pig,  and  the  suckling 
pig  in  a  fat  lamb,  and  the  lamb  in  a  calf,  and 
the  calf  in  a  Maderalla  .  .  . 

King:  What  now  is  a  Maderalla? 

Manus:  He  is  a  beast  that  saves  the  cook 
trouble,  swallowing  all  those  meats  one  after 
another — in  Sorcha. 

King:  That  should  be  a  very  pretty  dish. 


66  The  Dragon 

Let  you  go  make  a  start  with  it  the  way  we 
will  not  be  famished  before  nightfall.  Bring 
him,  Dall  Glic,  to  the  larder. 

Dall  Glic:  Vm  in  dread  it's  as  good  for  him 
to  stop  where  he  is. 

King:  What  are  you  saying? 

Dall  Glic:  Those  lads  of  apprentices  that 
left  nothing  in  it  only  bare  hooks. 

Nurse:  It  is  the  Queen  would  give  no  leave 
for  more  provision  to  come  in,  saying  there 
was  no  one  to  prepare  it. 

Manus:  If  that  is  so,  I  will  be  forced  to  lay 
my  orders  on  the  Hawk  of  the  Grey  Rock  and 
the  Brown  Otter  of  the  Stream  to  bring  in 
meat  at  my  bidding. 

King:  Hurry  on  so. 

Queen:  I  myself  will  go  and  give  you  in- 
structions what  way  to  use  the  kitchen. 

Manus:  Not  at  all!  What  I  do  Fd  as  lief 
do  in  your  own  royal  parlour !  (Blows  whistle; 
two  dark-skinned  men  come  in  with  vessels.) 
Give  me  here  those  pots  and  pans ! 

Queen:  What  now  is  about  to  take  place? 


The  Dragon  67 

Dall  Glic:  I  not  to  be  blind,  I  would  say 
those  to  be  very  foreign-looking  men. 

King:  It  would  seem  as  if  the  world  was 
grown  to  be  very  queer. 

Queen:  So  it  is,  and  the  mastery  being  given 
to  a  cook. 

Manus:  So  it  should  be  too !  It  is  the  King 
of  Shades  and  Shadows  would  have  rule  over 
the  world  if  it  wasn't  for  the  cooks! 

King:  There's  some  sense  in  that  now. 

(Strange  men  are  moving  and  arrang- 
ing baskets  and  vessels. ) 

Manus:  There  was  respect  for  cooks  in  the 
early  days  of  the  world.  What  way  did  the 
Sons  of  Tuireann  get  their  death  but  going 
questing  after  a  cooking  spit  at  the  bidding  of 
Lugh  of  the  Long  Hand!  And  if  a  spit  was 
worthy  of  the  death  of  heroes,  what  should  the 
man  be  worth  that  is  skilled  in  turning  it? 
What  is  the  difference  between  man  and  beast? 
Beast  and  bird  devour  what  they  find  and  have 
no  power  to  change  it.  But  we  are  Druids  of 
those  mysteries,  having  magic  and  virtue  to 
turn  hard  grain  to  tender  cakes,  and  the  very 


68  The  Dragon 

skin  of  a  grunting  pig  to  crackling  causing 
quarrels  among  champions,  and  it  singing  upon 
the  coals.  A  cook!  If  I  am  I  am  not  without 
good  generations  before  me!  Who  was  the 
first  old  father  of  us,  roasting  and  reddening 
the  fruits  of  the  earth  from  hard  to  soft,  from 
bitter  to  kind,  till  they  are  fit  for  a  lady's  plat- 
ter? What  is  it  leaves  us  in  the  hard  cold  of 
Christmas  but  the  robbery  from  earth  of 
warmth  for  the  kitchen  fire  of  (takes  off  cap) 
the  first  and  foremost  of  all  master  cooks — 
the  Sun! 

Princess:  You  are  surely  not  ashamed  of 
your  trade ! 

Manus:  To  work  now,  to  work.  I'll  engage 
to  turn  out  a  dinner  fit  for  Pharaoh  of  Egypt 
or  Pharamond  King  of  the  Franks!  Here, 
Queen,  is  a  silver-breast  phoenix — draw  out 
the  feathers — they  are  pure  silver — fair  and 
clean.  (Queen  plucks  eagerly.)  King,  take 
your  golden  sceptre  and  stir  this  pot. 
(Gives  him  one,) 

King:  (Interested.)    What  now  is  in  it? 

Manus:  A  broth  that  will  rise  over  the  side 


The  Dragon  69 

and  be  consumed  and  split  if  you  stop  stirring 
it  for  one  minute  only!  (King  stirs  furi- 
ously,) Princess  {She  is  looking  on  and  he 
goes  over  to  her),  there  are  honey  cakes  to  roll 
out,  but  I  will  not  ask  you  to  do  it  in  dread  that 
you  might  spoil  the  whiteness  .  .  . 

Princess:  I  have  no  mind  to  do  it. 

Manus:  Of  the  flour! 

Princess:  Give  them  here. 

(Rolls  them  out  indignantly.) 

Manus:  That  is  right.  Take  care,  King, 
would  the  froth  swell  over  the  brim. 

Princess:  It  seems  to  me  you  are  doing  but 
little  yourself. 

Manus:  I  will  turn  now  and  ....  boil 
these  eggs. 

(Takes  some  on  a  plate;  they  roll  off.) 

Princess:  You  have  broken  them. 

Manus:  (Disconcerted.)  It  was  to  show 
you  a  good  trick,  how  to  make  them  sit  up  on 
the  narrow  end. 

Princess:  That  is  an  old  trick  in  the  world. 

Manus:  Every  trick  is  an  old  one,  but  with 
a  change  of  players,  a  change  of  dress,  it  comes 


70  The  Dragon 

out  as  new  as  before.    Princess  {speaks  low),  I 
have  a  message  to  give  you  and  a  pardon  to  ask. 

Princess:  Give  me  out  the  message. 

Manus:  Take  courage  and  keep  courage 
through  this  day.  Do  not  let  your  heart  fail. 
There  is  help  beside  you. 

Princess:  It  has  been  a  troublesome  day  in- 
deed. But  there  is  a  worse  one  and  a  great 
danger  before  me  in  the  far  away. 

Manus:  That  danger  will  come  to-day,  the 
message  said  in  the  dream.  Princess,  I  have 
a  pardon  to  ask  you.  I  have  been  playing  vani- 
ties. I  think  I  have  wronged  you  doing  this. 
It  was  surely  through  no  want  of  respect. 

Gatekeeper:  (Coming  in.)  There  is  word 
come  from  Ballyvelehan  there  is  a  coach  and 
horses  facing  for  this  place  over  from  Ought- 
mana. 

Queen:  Who  would  that  be? 

Gatekeeper:  Up  on  the  hill  a  woman  was, 
brought  word  it  must  be  some  high  gentleman. 
She  could  see  all  colours  in  the  coach,  and 
flowers  on  the  horse's  heads. 
(Goes  out.) 


The  Dragon  71 

Dall  Glic:  That  is  good  hearing.  I  was  in 
dread  some  man  we  would  have  no  welcome 
for  would  be  the  first  to  come  in  this  day. 

Queen:  Not  a  fear  of  it.  I  had  orders  given 
to  the  Gateman  who  he  would  and  would 
not  keep  out.  I  did  that  the  very  minute 
after  the  King  making  his  proclamation  and 
his  law. 

King:  Pup,  pup.  You  need  not  be  drawing 
that  down. 

Queen:  It  is  well  you  have  myself  to  care 
you  and  to  turn  all  to  good.  I  gave  orders  to 
the  Gateman,  I  say,  no  one  to  be  let  in  to  the 
door  unless  carriage  company,  no  other  ones, 
even  if  they  should  wipe  their  feet  upon  the 
mat.  I  notched  that  in  his  mind,  telling  him 
the  King  was  after  promising  the  Princess  Nu 
in  marriage  to  the  first  man  that  would  come 
into  the  house. 

Manus:  The  King  gave  out  that  word? 

Queen:  I  am  after  saying  that  he  did. 

Dall  Glic:  Come  along,  lad.  Don't  be  put- 
ting ears  on  yourself. 


72  The  Dragon 

Manus:  I  ask  the  King  did  he  give  out  that 
promise  as  the  Queen  says? 

King:  I  have  but  a  poor  memory. 

Nurse:  The  King  did  say  it  within  the  hour, 
and  swore  to  it  by  the  oath  of  his  people,  tak- 
ing contracts  of  the  sun  and  moon  of  the  air ! 

Dall  Glic:  What  is  it  to  you  if  he  did? 
Come  on,  now. 

Manus:  No.  This  is  a  matter  that  concerns 
myself. 

Queen:  How  do  you  make  that  out? 

Manus:  You,  that  called  me  in,  know  well 
that  I  was  the  first  to  come  into  the  house. 

Queen:  Ha,  ha!  You  have  the  impudence! 
It  is  a  man  the  King  said.  He  was  not  talking 
about  cooks. 

Manus:  (To  the  King-)  I  am  before  you 
as  a  serving  lad,  and  you  are  a.  King  in  Ireland. 
Because  you  are  a  King  and  I  your  hired  ser- 
vant you  will  not  refuse  me  justice.  You  gave 
your  word. 

King:  If  I  did  it  was  in  haste  and  in  vexa- 
tion, and  striving  to  save  her  from  destruction. 


The  Dragon  73 

Manus:  I  call  you  to  keep  to  your  word  and 
to  give  your  daughter  to  no  other  one. 

Queen:  Speak  out  now,  Dall  Glic,  and  give 
your  opinion  and  your  advice. 

Dall  Glic:  I  would  say  that  this  lad  going 
away  would  be  no  great  loss. 

Mantis:  I  did  not  ask  such  a  thing,  but  as 
it  has  come  to  me  I  will  hold  to  my  right. 

Queen:  It  would  be  right  to  throw  him  to 
the  hounds  in  the  kennel ! 

Manus:  (To  King.)  I  leave  it  to  the  judg- 
ment of  your  blind  wise  man. 

Queen:  (To  Dall  Glic.)  Take  care  would 
you  offend  myself  or  the  King! 

Manus:  I  put  it  on  you  to  split  justice  as  it 
is  measured  outside  the  world. 

Dall  Glic:  It  is  hard  for  me  to  speak.  He 
has  laid  it  hard  on  me.  My  good  eye  may  go 
asleep,  but  my  blind  eye  never  sleeps.  In  the 
place  where  it  is  waking,  an  honourable  man, 
king  or  beggar,  is  held  to  his  word. 

King:  Is  it  that  I  must  give  my  daughter  to 
a  lad  that  owns  neither  clod  nor    furrow? 


74  The  Dragon 

Whose  estate  is  but  a  shovel  for  the  ashes  and 
a  tongs  for  the  red  coals. 

Queen:  It  is  likely  he  is  urged  by  the  sting 
of  greed — it  is  but  riches  he  is  looking  for. 

King:  I  will  not  begrudge  him  his  own  ask- 
ing of  silver  and  of  gold! 

Mamis:  Throw  it  out  to  the  beggars  on  the 
road!  I  would  not  take  a  copper  half -penny! 
I'll  take  nothing  but  what  has  come  to  me  from 
your  own  word ! 

(King  bows  his  head.) 

Princess:  {Coining  forward.)  Then  this 
battle  is  not  between  you  and  an  old  king  that  is 
feeble,  but  between  yourself  and  myself. 

Manus:  I  am  sorry,  Princess,  if  it  must  be 
a  battle. 

Princess:  You  can  never  bring  me  away 
against  my  will. 

Manus:  I  said  no  word  of  doing  that. 

Princess:  You  think,  so,  I  will  go  with  you 
of  myself?  The  day  I  will  do  that  will  be  the 
day  you  empty  the  ocean! 

Manus:  I  will  not  wait  longer  than  to-day. 


The  Dragon  75 

Princess:  Many  a  man  waited  seven  years 
for  a  king's  daughter ! 

Manus:  And  another  seven — and  seven  gen- 
erations of  hags.  But  that  is  not  my  nature. 
I  will  not  kneel  to  any  woman,  high  or  low,  or 
crave  kindness  that  she  cannot  give. 

Princess:  Then  I  can  go  free! 

Manus:  For  this  day  I  take  you  in  my 
charge.  I  cross  and  claim  you  to  myself,  un- 
less a  better  man  will  come. 

Princess:  I  would  think  it  easier  to  find  a 
better  man  than  one  that  would  be  worse  to 
me! 

Manus:  If  one  should  come  that  you  think 
to  be  a  better  man,  I  will  give  you  your  own 
way. 

Princess:  It  is  you  being  in  the  world  at  all 
that  is  my  grief. 

Manus:  Time  makes  all  things  clear.  You 
did  not  go  far  out  in  the  world  yet,  my  poor 
little  Princess. 

Princess:  I  would  be  well  pleased  to  drive 
you  out  through  the  same  world! 

Manus:  With  or  without  your  goodwill,  I 


76  The  Dragon 

will  not  go  out  of  this  place  till  I  have  carried 
out  the  business  I  came  to  do. 

Dall  Glic:  Is  it  the  falling  of  hailstones  I 
hear  or  the  rumbling  of  thunder,  or  is  it  the 
trots  of  horses  upon  the  road? 

Queen:  {Looking  out.)  It  is  the  big  man 
that  is  coming — Prince  or  Lord  or  whoever  he 
may  be.  {To  Dall  Glic.)  Go  now  to  the  door 
to  welcome  him.  This  is  some  man  worth 
while.     {To  Manus.)    Let  you  get  out  of  this. 

Manus:  No,  whoever  he  is  Til  stop  and  face 
him.  Let  him  know  we  are  players  in  the  one 
game! 

King:  And  what  sort  of  a  fool  will  you 
make  of  me,  to  have  given  in  to  take  the  like  of 
you  for  a  son-in-law?  They  will  be  putting 
ridicule  on  me  in  the  songs. 

Queen:  If  he  must  stop  here  we  might  put 
some  face  on  him.  .  .  .  If  I  had  but  a  decent 
suit.  .  .  .  Give  me  your  cloak,  Dall  Glic.  (  He 
gives  it.)  Here  now  .  .  .  {To  Manus.)  Put 
this  around  you.  .  .  .  {Manus  takes  it  awk- 
wardly.)   It  will  cover  up  your  kitchen  suit. 

Manus:  Is  it  this  way? 


The  Dragon  77 

Queen:  You  have  no  right  handling  of  it — 
stupid  clown !    This  way ! 

Manus:  (Flinging  it  off.)  No,  FU  change 
no  more  suits !  It  is  time  for  me  to  stop  fooling 
and  give  you  what  you  did  not  ask  yet,  my 
name.    I  will  tell  out  all  the  truth. 

Gatekeeper:  {At  door,)  The  King  of  Sor- 
cha !    (  Taig  comes  in. ) 

King  and  Queen:  The  King  of  Sorcha! 
{They  rush  forward  to  greet  him.) 

Nurse:  {To  Manus.)  Did  ever  anyone  hear 
the  like! 

Manus:  It  seems  as  if  there  will  be  a  judg- 
ment between  the  man  and  the  clothes ! 

Queen:  {To  Taig.)  There  is  someone  here 
that  you  know.  King.  This  young  man  is  giv- 
ing out  that  he  was  your  cook. 

Taig:  He  was  not.  I  never  laid  an  eye  on 
him  till  this  minute. 

Queen:  I  was  sure  he  was  nothing  but  a 
liar  when  he  said  he  would  tell  the  truth! 
Now,  King,  will  you  turn  him  out  the  door  ? 

King:  And  what  about  the  great  dinner  he 
has  me  promised? 


78  The  Dragon 

Manus:  Be  easy  King.  Whether  or  no  you 
keep  your  word  to  me  Til  hold  to  mine !  {Blows 
whistle.)  In  with  the  dishes!  Take  your 
places !    Let  the  music  play  out ! 

{Music  plays,  the  strange  men  wheel  in 
tables  and  dishes. ) 

CURTAIN 


ACT  III 


ACT  III 

Scene:  Same.  Table  cleared  of  all  but  vessels 
of  fruit,  cocoa-nuts,  etc.  Queen  and  Taig 
sitting  in  front,  Nurse  and  Ball  Glic 
standing  in  background. 

Queen:  Now,  King,  the  dinner  being  at  an 
end,  and  the  music,  we  have  time  and  quiet  to 
be  talking. 

Taig:  It  is  with  the  King's  daughter  I  am 
come  to  talk. 

Queen:  Go,  Dall  Glic,  call  the  Princess.  She 
will  be  here  on  the  minute,  but  it  is  best  for  you 
to  tell  me  out  if  it  is  to  ask  her  in  marriage  you 
are  come. 

Taig:  It  is  so,  where  I  was  after  being  told 
she  would  be  given  as  a  wife  to  the  first  man 
that  would  come  into  the  house. 

Queen:  And  who  in  the  world  wide  gave 
that  out? 

Taig:  It   was   the   Gateman   said   it   to   a 

8i 


82  The  Dragon 

hawker  bringing  lobsters  from  the  strand,  and 
that  got  no  leave  to  cross  the  threshold  by  rea- 
son of  the  oath  given  out  by  the  King.  The 
half  of  the  kingdom  she  will  get,  they  were 
telling  me,  and  the  king  living,  and  the  whole 
of  it  after  he  will  be  dead. 

Nurse:  There  did  another  come  in  before 
you.    Let  me  tell  you  that  much ! 

Taig:  There  did  not.  The  lobster  man  that 
set  a  watch  upon  the  door. 

Queen:  A  great  honour  you  did  us  coming 
asking  for  her,  and  you  being  King  of  Sorcha! 

Taig:  Look  at  my  ring  and  my  crown.  They 
will  bear  witness  that  I  am.  And  my  kind  coat 
of  cotton  and  my  golden  shirt !  And  under  that 
again  there's  a  stiff  pocket.  (Slaps  it.)  Is 
there  e'er  a  looking-glass  in  any  place?  (Gets 
up.) 

Dall  Glic:  There  is  the  shining  silver  basin 
of  the  swans  in  the  garden  without. 

Taig:  That  will  do.  I  would  wish  to  look 
tasty  when  I  come  looking  for  a  lady  of  a  wife. 
(He  and  Dall  Glic  go  outside  window  hut  in 
sight.) 


The  Dragon  83 

(Princess  comes  in  very  proud  and  sad.) 

Queen:  You  should  be  proud  this  day,  Nu- 
ala,  and  so  grand  a  man  coming  asking  you  in 
marriage  as  the  King  of  Sorcha. 

Nurse:  Grand,  indeed!  As  grand  as  hands 
and  pins  can  make  him. 

Princess:  Are  you  not  satisfied  to  have 
urged  me  to  one  man  and  promised  me  to  an- 
other since  sunrise? 

Queen:  What  way  could  I  know  there  was 
this  match  on  the  way,  and  a  better  match  be- 
yond measure?  This  is  no  black  stranger  go- 
ing the  road,  but  a  man  having  a  copper  crown 
over  his  gateway  and  a  silver  crown  over  his 
palace  door !  I  tell  you  he  has  means  to  hang 
a  pearl  of  gold  upon  every  rib  of  your  hair! 
There  is  no  one  ahead  of  him  in  all  Ireland, 
with  his  chain  and  his  ring  and  his  suit  of  the 
dearest  silk! 

Princess:  If  it  was  a  suit  I  was  to  wed  with 
he  might  do  well  enough. 

Queen:  Equal  in  blood  to  ourselves! 
Brought  up  to  good  behaviour  and  courage  and 
mannerly  ways. 


84  The  Dragon 

Princess:  In  my  opinion  he  is  not. 

Queen:  You  are  talking  fooHshness.  A 
King  of  Sorcha  must  be  mannerly,  seeing  it  is 
he  himself  sets  the  tune  for  manners. 

Princess:  He  gave  out  a  laugh  when  old 
Michelin  slipped  on  the  threshold.  He  kicked 
at  the  dog  under  the  table  that  came  looking 
for  bones. 

Queen:  I  tell  you  what  might  be  ugly  be- 
haviour in  a  common  man  is  suitable  and  right 
in  a  king.  But  you  are  so  hard  to  please  and 
so  pettish,  I  am  seven  times  tired  of  yourself 
and  your  ways. 

Princess:  If  no  one  could  force  me  to  give 
in  to  the  man  that  made  a  claim  to  me  to-day, 
according  to  my  father's  bond,  that  bond  is 
there  yet  to  protect  me  from  any  other  one. 

Queen:  Leave  me  alone!  Myself  and  the 
Dall  Glic  will  take  means  to  rid  you  of  that  lad 
from  the  oven.  Fll  send  in  now  to  you  the 
King  of  Sorcha.  Let  you  show  civility  to  him, 
and  the  wedding-day  will  be  to-morrow. 

Princess:  I  will  not  see  him,  I  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  him;  I  tell  you  if  he  had  the 


The  Dragon  85 

rents  of  the  whole  world  I  would  not  go  with 
him  by  day  or  by  night,  on  foot  or  on  horse- 
back, in  Hght  or  in  darkness,  in  company  or 
alone ! 

(Queen  has  gone  while  she  cries  this  out.) 

Nurse:  The  luck  of  the  seven  Saturdays  on 
himself  and  on  the  Queen ! 

Princess:  Oh,  Muime,  do  not  let  him  come 
near  me!    Have  you  no  way  to  help  me? 

Nurse:  It's  myself  that  could  help  you  if  I 
was  not  under  bonds  not  to  speak! 

Princess:  What  is  it  you  know?  Why 
won't  you  say  one  word? 

Nurse:  He  put  me  under  spells.  .  .  .  There 
now,  my  tongue  turned  with  the  word  to  be 
dumb. 

Taig:  (At  the  windozv.)  Not  a  fear  of  me, 
Queen.  It  won't  be  long  till  I  bring  the  Prin- 
cess around. 

Princess:  I  will  not  stay!  Keep  him  here 
till  I  will  hide  myself  out  of  sight!    (Goes.) 

Taig:  (Coming  in.)  They  told  me  the 
Princess  was  in  it. 


86  The  Dragon 

Nurse:  She  has  good  sense,  she  is  in  some 
other  place. 

Taig:  {Sitting  down-)    Go  call  her  to  me. 

Nurse:  Who  is  it  I  will  call  her  for? 

Taig:  For  myself.    You  know  who  I  am. 

Nurse:  My  grief  that  I  do  not! 

Taig:  I  am  the  King  of  Sorcha. 

Nurse:  If  you  say  that  lie  again  there  will 
blisters  rise  up  on  your  face. 

Taig:  Take  care  what  you  are  saying,  you 
hag! 

Nurse:  I  know  well  what  I  am  saying.  I 
have  good  judgment  between  the  noble  and  the 
mean  blood  of  the  world. 

Taig:  The  Kings  of  Sorcha  have  high, 
noble  blood. 

Nurse:  If  they  have,  there  is  not  so  much 
of  it  in  you  as  would  redden  a  rib  of  scutch- 
grass. 

Taig:  You  are  crazed  with  folly  and  age. 

Nurse:  No,  but  I  have  my  wits  good  enough. 
You  ought  to  be  as  slippery  as  a  living  eel,  Fll 
get  satisfaction  on  you  ye<- !  Til  show  out  who 
you  are ! 


The  Dragon  87 

Taig:  Who  am  I  so? 

Nurse:  That  is  what  I  have  to  get  know- 
ledge of,  if  I  must  ask  it  at  the  mouth  of  cold 
hell! 

Taig:  Do  your  best!     I  dare  you! 

Nurse:  I  will  save  my  darling  from  you  as 
sure  as  there's  rocks  on  the  strand!  A  girl 
that  refused  sons  of  the  kings  of  the  world! 

Taig:  And  I  will  drag  your  darlmg  from 
you  as  sure  as  there's  foxes  in  Oughtmana! 

Nurse:  Oughtmana  ...  Is  that  now  your 
living  place? 

Taig:  It  is  not.  ...  I  told  you  I  came  from 
the  far-off  kingdom  of  Sorcha.  Look  at  my 
cloak  that  has  on  it  the  sign  of  the  risen  sun! 

Nurse:  Cloaks  and  suits  and  fringes.  You 
have  a  great  deal  of  talk  of  them.  .  .  .  Have 
you  e'er  a  needle  around  you,  or  a  shears  ? 

Taig:  {His  hand  goes  to  breast  of  coat,  but 
he  withdraws  it  quickly.)  Here  .  .  .  no  .  .  . 
What  are  you  talking  about?  I  know  nothing 
at  all  of  such  things. 

Nurse:  In  my  opinion  you  do.     Hearken 


88  The  Dragon 

now.  I  know  where  is  the  real  King  of  Sor- 
cha! 

Taig:  Bring  him  before  me  now  till  I'll 
down  him ! 

Nurse:  Say  that  the  time  you  will  come  face 
to  face  with  him!  Well,  I'm  under  bonds  to 
tell  out  nothing  about  him,  but  I  have  liberty  to 
make  known  all  I  will  find  out  about  yourself. 

Taig:  Hurry  on  so.  Little  I  care  when  once 
I'm  wed  with  the  King's  daughter ! 

Nurse:  That  will  never  be! 

Taig:  The  Queen  is  befriending  me  and  in 
dread  of  losing  me.  I  will  threaten  her  if  there 
is  any  delay  I'll  go  look  for  another  girl  of 
a  wife. 

Nurse:  I  will  make  no  delay.  I'll  have  my 
story  and  my  testimony  before  the  white  dawn 
of  the  morrow. 

Taig:  Do  so  and  welcome!  Before  the  yel- 
low light  of  this  evening  I'll  be  the  King's  son- 
in-law!  Bring  your  news,  then,  and  little 
thanks  you'll  get  for  it !  The  King  and  Queen 
must  keep  up  my  nam.e  then  for  their  own 
credit's  sake.     (Makes  a  face  at  her  as  King 


The  Dragon  89 

comes  in  with  Ball  Glic,  and  servants  with 
cushions.  Nurse  goes  out,  shaking  her  fist.) 
(Rises.)  I  was  just  asking  to  see  you,  King,  to 
say  there  is  a  hurry  on  me.  .  .  . 

King:  (Sitting  dozvn  on  window  seat  while 
Servant  arranges  cushions  about  him.)  Keep 
your  business  a  while.  It*s  a  poor  thing  to  be 
going  through  business  the  very  minute  the 
dinner  is  ended. 

Taig:  I  wouldn't  but  that  it  is  pressing. 

King:  Go  now  to  the  Queen,  in  her  parlour, 
and  be  chatting  and  whistling  to  the  birds.  I 
give  you  my  word  since  I  rose  up  from  the  table 
I  am  going  here  and  there,  up  and  down,  crav- 
ing and  striving  to  find  a  place  where  I'll  get 
leave  to  lay  my  head  on  the  cushions  for  one 
little  minute. 

(Taig  goes  reluctantly.) 

Ball  Glic:  (Taking  cushions  from  serv- 
ants.) Let  you  go  now  and  leave  the  King  to 
his  rest. 

(They  go  out.) 

King:  I  don't  know  in  the  world  why  any- 
one would  consent  to  be  a  king,  and  never  to 


90  The  Dragon 

be  left  to  himself,  but  to  be  worried  and  wear- 
ied and  interfered  with  from  dark  to  daybreak 
and  from  morning  to  the  fall  of  night. 

Dall  Glic:  I  will  be  going  out  now.  I  have 
but  one  word  only  to  say  .  .  . 

King:  Let  it  be  a  short  word!  I  would  be 
better  pleased  to  hear  the  sound  of  breezes  in 
the  sycamores,  and  the  humming  of  bees  in  the 
hive  and  the  crooning  and  sleepy  sounds  of  the 
sea! 

Dall  Glic:  There  is  one  thing  only  could 
cause  me  to  annoy  you. 

King:  It  should  be  a  queer  big  thing  that 
wouldn't  wait  till  I  have  my  rest  taken. 

Dall  Glic:  So  it  is  a  big  matter,  and  a 
weighty  one. 

King:  Not  to  be  left  in  quiet  and  all  I  am 
after  using !  Food  that  was  easy  to  eat !  Drink 
that  was  easy  to  drink !  That's  the  dinner  that 
was  a  dinner.    That  cook  now  is  a  wonder ! 

Dall  Glic:  That  is  now  the  very  one  I  am 
wishful  to  speak  about. 

King:  I  give  you  my  word,  Fd  sooner  have 


The  Dragon  91 

one  goose  dressed  by  him  than  seven  dressed 
by  any  other  one! 

Ball  die:  The  Queen  that  was  urging  me 
for  to  put  my  mind  to  make  out  some  way  to 
get  quit  of  him. 

King:  Isn't  it  a  hard  thing  the  very  minute 
I  find  a  lad  can  dress  a  dinner  to  my  liking,  I 
must  be  made  an  attack  on  to  get  quit  of  him? 

Ball  Glic:  It  is  on  the  head  of  the  Princess 
Nu. 

King:  Tell  me  this,  Dall  Glic.  Supposing, 
now,  he  was  ...  in  spite  of  me  ...  to  wed 
with  her  .  .  .  against  my  will  .  .  .  and  it 
might  be  unknownst  to  me. 

Ball  Glic:  Such  a  thing  must  not  happen. 

King:  To  be  sure,  it  must  not  happen.  Why 
would  it  happen?  But  supposing — I  only  said 
supposing  it  did.  Would  you  say  would  that 
lad  grow  too  high  in  himself  to  go  into  the 
kitchen  ...  it  might  be  only  an  odd  time  .  .  . 
to  oblige  me  .  .  .  and  dress  a  dinner  the  same 
as  he  did  to-day? 

Ball  Glic:  I  am  sure  and  certain  that  he 
would  not.    It  is  the  way,  it  is,  with  the  com- 


92  The  Dragon 

mon  sort,  the  lower  orders.  He'd  be  wishful 
to  sit  on  a  chair  at  his  ease  and  to  leave  his 
hand  idle  till  he'd  grow  to  be  bulky  and  wishful 
for  sleep. 

King:  That  is  a  pity,  a  great  pity,  and  a 
great  loss  to  the  world.  A  big  misfortune  he  to 
have  got  it  in  his  head  to  take  a  liking  to  the 
girl.  I  tell  you  he  was  a  great  lad  behind  the 
saucepans ! 

Dall  Glic:  Since  he  did  get  it  in  his  head, 
it  is  what  we  have  to  do  now,  to  make  an  end 
of  him. 

King:  To  gaol  him  now,  and  settle  up  ovens 
and  spits  and  all  sorts  in  the  cell,  wouldn't  he, 
to  shorten  the  day,  he  apt  to  start  cooking? 

Dall  Glic:  In  my  belief  he  will  do  nothing 
at  all,  but  to  hold  you  to  the  promise  you  made, 
and  to  force  you  to  send  away  the  King  of 
Sorcha. 

King:  To  have  the  misfortune  of  a  cook  for 
a  son-in-law,  and  without  the  good  luck  of 
profiting  by  what  he  can  do  in  his  trade !  That 
is  a  hard  thing  for  a  father  to  put  up  with,  let 
alone  a  king! 


The  Dragon  93 

Ball  Glic:  If  you  will  but  listen  to  the  ad- 
vice I  have  to  give  .  .  . 

King:  I  know  it  without  you  telling  me. 
You  are  asking  me  to  make  away  with  the  lad ! 
And  who  knows  but  the  girl  might  turn  on  me 
after,  women  are  so  queer,  and  say  I  had  a 
right  to  have  asked  leave  from  herself? 

Ball  Glic:  There  will  no  one  suspect  you  of 
doing  it,  and  you  to  take  my  plan.  Bid  them 
heat  the  big  oven  outside  on  the  lawn  that  is 
for  roasting  a  bullock  in  its  full  bulk. 

King:  Don't  be  talking  of  roasted  meat!  I 
think  I  can  eat  no  more  for  a  twelvemonth ! 

Ball  Glic:  There  will  be  nothing  roasted  that 
any  person  will  have  occasion  to  eat.  When 
the  oven  door  will  be  open,  give  orders  to  your 
bullies  and  your  foot-soldiers  to  give  a  tip  to 
him  that  will  push  him  in.  When  evening 
comes,  news  will  go  out  that  he  left  the  meat  to 
burn  and  made  off  on  his  rambles,  and  no  more 
about  him. 

King:  What  way  can  I  send  orders  when 
Fm  near  crazed  in  my  wits  with  the  want  of 


94  The  Dragon 

rest.    A  little  minute  of  sleep  might  soothe  and 
settle  my  brain. 

(Lies  down.) 

Dall  Glic:  The  least  little  word  to  give  leave 
.  .  .  or  a  sign  .  .  .  such  as  to  nod  the  head. 

King:  I  give  you  my  v^ord,  my  head  is  tired 
nodding!  Be  off  now  and  close  the  door  after 
you  and  give  out  that  anyone  that  comes  to  this 
side  of  the  house  at  all  in  the  next  half-hour, 
his  neck  will  be  on  the  block  before  morning! 

Dall  Glic:  {Hurriedly-)  Vm  going!  I'm 
going. 

{Goes.) 

King:  {Locking  door  and  drawing  window 
curtains.)  That  you  may  never  come  back 
till  I  ask  you!  {Lies  down  and  settles  himself 
on  pillows. )  I'll  be  lying  here  in  my  lone  lis- 
tening to  the  pigeons  seeking  their  meal. 
''Coo-coo,"  they're  saying,  ''Coo-coo." 
{Closes  eyes.) 

Nurse:  {At  door.)  Who  is  it  locked  the 
door  ?  {Shakes  it. )  Who  is  it  is  in  it  ?  What 
is  going  on  within?  Is  it  that  some  bad  work 
is  after  being  done  in  this  place?    Hi !  Hi !  Hi ! 


The  Dragon  95 

King:  (Sitting  up.)  Get  away  out  of  that, 
you  torment  of  a  nurse!  Be  off  before  I'll 
have  the  life  of  you! 

Nurse:  The  Lord  be  praised,  it  is  the  King's 
own  voice !    There's  time  yet ! 

King:  There's  time,  is  there?  There's  time 
for  everyone  to  give  out  their  chat  and  their 
gab,  and  to  do  their  business  and  take  their 
ease  and  have  a  comfortable  life,  only  the 
King!  The  beasts  of  the  field  have  leave  to 
lay  themselves  down  in  the  meadow  and  to 
stretch  their  limbs  on  the  green  grass  in  the 
heat  of  the  day,  without  being  pestered  and 
plagued  and  tormented  and  called  to  and  wak- 
ened and  worried,  till  a  man  is  no  less  than 
wore  out ! 

Nurse:  Up  or  down,  I'll  say  what  I  have  to 
say,  if  it  costs  me  my  life.  It  is  that  I  have  to 
tell  you  of  a  plot  that  is  made  and  a  plan! 

King:  I  won't  listen!  I  heard  enough  of 
plots  and  plans  within  the  last  three  minutes ! 

Nurse:  You  didn't  hear  this  one.  No  one 
knows  of  it  only  myself. 

King:  I  was  told  it  by  the  Dall  Glic. 


96  The  Dragon 

Nurse:  You  were  not!  I  am  only  after 
making  it  out  on  the  moment ! 

King:  A  plot  against  the  lad  of  the  sauce- 
pans? 

Nurse:  That's  it!  That's  it!  Open  now  the 
door ! 

King:  (Putting  a  cushion  over  each  ear  and 
settling  himself  to  sleep.)  Tell  away  and  wel- 
come ! 

{Shuts  eyes.) 

Nurse:  That's  right!  You're  listening. 
Give  heed  now.  That  schemer  came  a  while 
ago  letting  on  to  be  the  King  of  Sorcha  is  no 
such  thing!  What  do  you  say?  .  .  .  Maybe 
you  knew  it  before?  I  wonder  the  Dall  Glic 
not  to  have  seen  that  for  himself  with  his  one 
eye.  .  .  .  Maybe  you  don't  believe.it?  Well, 
I'll  tell  it  out  and  prove  it.  I  have  got  sure 
word  by  running  messenger  that  came  cross- 
cutting  over  the  ridge  of  the  hill.  .  .  .  That 
carrion  that  came  in  a  coach,  pressing  to  bring 
away  the  Princess  before  nightfall,  giving 
himself  out  to  be  some  great  one,  is  no  other 
than  Taig  the  Tailor,  that  should  be  called 


The  Dragon  97 

Taig-  the  Twister,  down  from  his  mother's 
house  from  Oughtmana,  that  stole  grand 
clothes  which  were  left  in  the  mother's  charge, 
he  being  out  at  the  time  cutting  cloth  and  shap- 
ing lies,  and  has  himself  dressed  out  in  them 
the  way  you'd  take  him  to  be  King!  {King 
has  slumbered  peacefully  all  through.)  Now, 
what  do  you  say?  Now,  will  you  open  the 
door? 

Queen:  {Outside.)  What  call  have  you  to 
shouting  and  disturbing  the  King? 

Nurse:  I  have  good  right  and  good  reason 
to  disturb  him ! 

Queen:  Go  away  and  let  me  open  the  door. 

Nurse:  I  will  go  and  welcome  now;  I  have 
told  out  my  whole  story  to  the  King. 

Queen:  {Shaking  door.)  Open  the  door, 
my  dear!  It  is  I  myself  that  is  here!  {King 
looks  up,  listens,  shakes  his  head  and  sinks 
hack.)  Are  you  there  at  all,  or  what  is  it  ails 
you? 

Nurse:  He  is  there,  and  is  after  conversing 
with  myself. 

Queen:  {Shaking  again.)     Let  me  in,  my 


98  The  Dragon 

dear  King!  Open!  Open!  Open!  unless  that 
the  falhng  sickness  is  come  upon  you,, or  that 
you  are  maybe  lying  dead  upon  the  floor ! 

Nurse:  Not  a  dead  in  the  world. 

Queen:  Go,  Nurse,  I  tell  you,  bring  the 
smith  from  the  anvil  till  he  will  break  asunder 
the  lock  of  the  door! 

{King,  annoyed,  waddles  to  door  and 
opens  it  suddenly.  Queen  stumbles 
in,) 

King:  What  at  all  has  taken  place  that  you 
come  bawling  and  calling  and  disturbing  my 
rest? 

Queen:  Oh!  Are  you  sound  and  well?  I 
was  in  dread  there  did  something  come  upon 
you,  when  you  gave  no  answer  at  all. 

King:  Am  I  bound  to  answer  every  call  and 
clamour  the  same  as  a  hall-porter  at  the  door  ? 

Queen:  It  is  business  that  cannot  wait. 
Here  now  is  a  request  I  have  written  to  the 
bully  of  the  King  of  Alban,  bidding  him  to 
strike  the  head  off  whatever  man  will  put  the 
letter  in  his  hand.  Write  your  name  and  sign 
to  it,  in  three  royal  words. 


The  Dragon  99 

King:  I  wouldn't  sign  a  letter  out  of  my 
right  hour  if  it  was  to  make  the  rivers  run 
gold.  There  is  nothing  comes  of  signing  let- 
ters but  more  trouble  in  the  end. 

Queen:  Give  me,  so,  to  bind  it  a  drop  of  your 
own  blood  as  a  token  and  a  seal.  You  will  not 
refuse,  and  I  telling  you  the  messenger  will  go 
with  it,  and  that  will  lose  his  head  through  it, 
is  no  less  than  that  troublesome  cook ! 

King:  {With  a  roar.)  Anyone  to  say  that 
word  again  I  will  not  leave  a  head  on  any  neck 
in  the  kingdom !  I  declare  on  my  oath  it  would 
be  best  for  me  to  take  the  world  for  my  pillow 
and  put  that  lad  upon  the  throne ! 

{Queen  goes  back  frightened  to  door.) 
Gateman:  {Coming  in.)     There  is  a  man 
coming  in  that  will  take  no  denial.    It  is  Fin- 
tan  the  Astrologer. 

{Fintan  enters  with  Ball  Glic,  Nurse, 

Princess,  Taig,  Manus  and  Prince 

of   the   Marshes   crowding    after 

him. ) 

King:  Another    disturbance!      The    whole 

world  would  seem  to  be  on  the  move ! 


loo  The  Dragon 

Queen:  Fintan!  What  brings  him  here 
again  ? 

Fintan:  A  great  deceit?  A  terrible  decep- 
tion ! 

King:  What  at  all  is  it? 

Fintan:  Long  and  all  as  Fm  in  the  world, 
such  a  thing  never  happened  in  my  lifetime! 

Queen:  What  is  it  has  happened? 

Fintan:  It  is  not  any  fault  of  myself  or  any 
miscounting  of  my  own !  I  am  certain  sure  of 
that  much.  Is  it  that  the  stars  of  heaven  are 
gone  astray,  they  that  are  all  one  with  a  clock — 
unless  it  might  be  on  a  stormy  night  when  they 
are  wild-looking  around  the  moon. 

King:  Go  on  with  your  story  and  stop  your 
raving. 

Fintan:  The  first  time  ever  I  came  to  this 
place  I  made  a  prophecy. 

Dall  Glic:  You  did,  about  the  child  was  in 
the  cradle. 

Fintan:  And  that  was  but  new  in  the  world. 
It  is  what  I  said,  that  she  was  born  under  a  cer- 
tain star,  and  that  in  a  score  of  years  all  but 
two,  whatever  acting  was  going  on  in  that  star 


The  Dragoa-  i    -•■;•-/  ;-;cQXv 

at  the  time  she  was  born,  she  would  get  her 
crosses  in  the  same  way. 

Ball  Glic:  The  cross  you  foretold  to  her  was 
to  be  ate  by  a  Dragon.  You  laid  down  it  would 
come  upon  a  twelvemonth  from  this  very  day. 

Pint  an:  That's  it.  That  was  according  to 
my  reckoning.  There  was  no  mistake  in  that. 
And  I  thought  better  of  the  Seven  Stars  than 
they  to  make  a  fool  of  me,  after  all  the  respect 
I  had  showed  them,  giving  my  life  to  watching 
themselves  and  the  plans  they  have  laid  down 
for  men  and  for  mortals. 

King:  It  seems  as  if  I  myself  was  the  best 
prophet  and  that  there  is  no  Dragon  at  all. 

Pint  an:  What  a  bad  opinion  you  have  of  me 
that  I  would  be  so  far  out  as  that !  It  would  be 
a  deception  and  a  disappointment  out  of  meas- 
ure, there  to  come  no  Dragon,  and  I  after  fore- 
telling and  prophesying  him. 

King:  Troth,  it  would  be  no  disappointment 
at  all  to  ourselves. 

Pint  an:  It  would  be  better,  I  tell  you,  a  score 
of  king's  daughters  to  be  ate  and  devoured, 
than  the  high   stars   in  their  courses  to  be 


,10^  The  Dragon 

proved  wrong.  But  it  must  be  right,  it  surely 
must  be  right.  I  gave  the  prophecy  according 
to  her  birth  hour,  that  was  one  hour  before  the 
falling  back  of  the  sun. 

Dall  Glic:  It  was  not,  but  an  hour  before 
the  rising  of  the  sun. 

Pint  an:  Not  at  all!  It  was  the  Nurse  her- 
self told  me  it  was  at  evening  she  was  born. 

Queen:  There  is  the  Nurse  now.  Let  you 
ask  her  account. 

Pint  an:  {To  Nurse.)  It  was  yourself  laid 
down  it  was  evening! 

Nurse:  Sure  I  wasn't  in  the  place  at  all  till 
Samhuin  time,  when  she  was  near  three  months 
in  the  world. 

Pint  an:  Then  it  was  some  other  hag  the 
very  spit  of  you!    I  wish  she  didn't  tell  a  lie. 

Nurse:  Sure  that  one  was  banished  out  of 
this  on  the  head  of  telling  lies.  An  hour  ere 
sunrise,  and  before  the  crowing  of  the  cocks. 
The  Dall  Glic  will  tell  you  that  much. 

Dall  Glic:  That  is  so.  I  have  it  marked 
upon  the  genealogies  in  the  chest. 

Pint  an:  That  is  great  news !    It  was  a  heavy 


The  Dragon  103 

wrong  was  done  me !  It  had  me  greatly  upset. 
Twelve  hours  out  in  laying  down  the  birth- 
time  !  That  clears  the  character  of  myself  and 
of  the  carwheel  of  the  stars.  I  knew  I  could 
make  no  mistake  in  my  office  and  in  my  billet ! 

King:  Will  you  stop  praising  yourself  and 
give  out  some  sense? 

Fintan:  Knowledge  is  surely  the  greatest 
thing  in  the  world !  And  truth !  Twelve  hours 
with  the  planets  is  equal  to  twelve  months  on 
earth.    I  am  well  satisfied  now. 

Queen:  So  the  Dragon  is  not  coming,  and 
the  girl  is  in  no  danger  at  all  ? 

Fintan:  Not  coming!  Heaven  help  your 
poor  head!  Didn't  I  get  word  within  the  last 
half-hour  he  is  after  leaving  his  den  in  the 
Kingdoms  of  the  Cold,  and  is  at  this  minute 
ploughing  his  way  to  Ireland,  the  same  as  I 
foretold  him,  but  that  I  made  a  miscount  of  a 
year? 

Nurse:  {Putting  her  arm  round  Princess.) 
Och!  do  not  listen  or  give  heed  to  him  at  all! 

Queen:  When  is  he  coming  so? 

Fintan:  Amn't  I  tired  telling  you  this  day 


104  The  Dragon 

in  the  place  of  this  day  twelvemonth.  But  as 
to  the  minute,  there's  too  much  lies  in  this  place 
for  me  to  be  rightly  sure. 

King:  The  curse  of  the  seven  elements  upon 
him! 

Pint  an:  Little  he'll  care  for  your  cursing. 
The  whole  world  wouldn't  stop  him  coming  to 
your  own  grand  gate. 

Princess:  {Coming  forward.)  Then  I  am 
to  die  to-night? 

Pint  an:  You  are,  without  he  will  be  turned 
back  by  someone  having  a  stronger  star  than 
your  own,  and  I  know  of  no  star  is  better,  un- 
less it  might  be  the  sun. 

Queen:  If  you  had  minded  me,  and  given 
in  to  ring  the  wedding  bells,  you  would  be  safe 
out  of  this  before  now. 

Pint  an:  That  Dragon  not  to  find  her  before 
him,  he  will  ravage  and  destroy  the  whole  dis- 
trict with  the  poisonous  spittle  of  his  jaw,  till 
the  want  will  be  so  great  the  father  will  disown 
,his  son  and  will  not  let  him  in  the  door.  Well, 
good-bye  to  ye!  Ye'll  maybe  believe  me  to 
have    foreknowledge    another    time,    and    I 


The  Dragon  105 

proved  to  be  right.    I  have  knocked  great  com- 
fort out  of  that! 
(Goes.) 

King:  Oh,  my  poor  child!  My  poor  little 
Nu !  I  thought  it  never  would  come  to  pass,  I 
to  be  sending  you  to  the  slaughter.  And  I  too 
bulky  to  go  out  and  face  him,  having  led  an 
easy  life! 

Princess:  Do  not  be  fretting-. 

King:  The  world  is  gone  to  and  fro!  Til 
never  ask  satisfaction  again  either  in  bed  or 
board,  but  to  be  wasting  away  with  water- 
cresses  and  rising  up  of  a  morning  before  the 
sun  rises  in  Babylon!  (Weeps.)  Oh,  we 
might  make  out  a  way  to  baffle  him  yet!  Is 
there  no  meal  will  serve  him  only  flesh  and 
blood  ?  Try  him  with  Grecian  wine,  and  with 
what  was  left  of  the  big  dinner  a  while  ago! 

Gateman:  (Coming  in,)  There  is  some 
strange  thing  in  the  ocean  from  Aran  out.  At 
first  it  was  but  like  a  bird's  shadow  on  the  sea, 
and  now  you  would  nearly  say  it  to  be  the  big 
island  would  have  left  its  moorings,  and  it 
steering  its  course  towards  Aughanish ! 


io6  The  Dragon 

Dall  Glic:  Fm  in  dread  it  should  be  the 
Dragon  that  has  cleared  the  ocean  at  a  leap ! 

King:  {Holding  Princess,)  I  will  not  give 
you  up!  Let  him  devour  myself  along  with 
you! 

Dall  Glic:  {To  Princess.)  It  is  best  for  me 
to  put  you  in  a  hiding-hole  under  the  ground, 
that  has  seven  locked  doors  and  seven  locks  on 
the  farthest  door.  It  might  fail  him  to  make 
you  out. 

Nurse:  Oh,  it  would  be  hard  for  her  to  go 
where  she  cannot  hear  the  voice  of  a  friend  or 
see  the  light  of  day! 

Princess:  Would  you  wish  me  to  save  my- 
self and  let  all  the  district  perish?  You  heard 
what  Fintan  said.  It  is  not  right  for  destruc- 
tion to  be  put  on  a  whole  province,  and  the 
women  and  the  children  that  I  know. 

Queen:  There  is  maybe  time  yet  for  you  to 
wed. 

Princess:  So  long  as  I  am  living  I  have  a 
choice.  I  will  not  be  saved  in  that  way.  It  is 
alone  I  will  be  in  my  death. 

Manns:  {Coming  to  King.)    I  am  going  out 


The  Dragon  107 

from  you,  King.  I  might  not  be  coming  in  to 
you  again.  I  would  wish  to  set  you  free  from 
the  promise  you  made  me  a  while  ago,  and  the 
bond. 

King:  What  does  it  signify  now?  What 
does  anything  signify,  and  the  world  turning 
here  and  there ! 

Manus:  And  another  thing.  I  would  wish 
to  ask  pardon  of  the  King's  daughter.  I  ought 
not  to  have  laid  any  claim  to  her,  being  a 
stranger  in  this  place  and  without  treasure  or 
attendance.  And  yet  .  .  .  and  yet  .  .  . 
(stoops  and  kisses  hem  of  her  dress) y  she  was 
dear  to  me.  It  is  a  man  who  never  may  look  on 
her  again  is  saying  that. 
{Turns  to  door.) 

Taig:  He  is  going  to  run  from  the  Dragon! 
It  is  kind  father  for  a  scullion  to  be  timid! 

Queen:  It  is  in  his  blood.  He  is  maybe  not 
to  blame  for  what  is  according  to  his  nature. 

Manus:  That  is  so.  I  am  doing  what  is  ac- 
cording to  my  nature. 

{Goes,  Nurse  goes  after  him.) 

Queen:  {To  Dall  Glic.)     Go  throw  a  dish- 


io8  The  Dragon 

cloth  after  him  that  the  little  lads  may  be  mock- 
ing him  along  the  road ! 

Dall  Glic:  I  will  not.  I  have  meddled 
enough  at  your  bidding.  I  am  done  with  living 
under  dread.  Let  you  blind  me  entirely !  I  am 
free  of  you.  It  might  be  best  for  me  the  two 
eyes  to  be  withered,  and  I  seeing  nothing  but 
the  ever-living  laws! 

Prince  of  Marshes:  {Coming  to  Princess.) 
It  is  my  grief  that  with  all  the  teachers  I  had 
there  was  not  one  to  learn  me  the  handling  of 
weapons  or  of  arms.  But  for  all  that  I  will  not 
run  away,  but  will  strive  to  strike  one  blow  in 
your  defence  against  that  wicked  beast. 

Princess:  It  is  a  good  friend  that  would  rid 
us  of  him.  But  it  grieves  me  that  you  should 
go  into  such  danger. 

Prince  of  Marshes:  {To  Dall  Glic.)  Give 
me  some  sword  or  casting  spears. 

{Dall  Glic  gives  him  spears.) 

Princess:  I  am  sorry  I  made  fun  of  you  a 
while  ago.    I  think  you  are  a  good  kind  man. 

Prince  of  Marshes:   {Kissing  her  hand.) 


The  Dragon  109 

Having  that  word  of  praise  I  will  bring  a  good 
heart  into  the  fight. 
(Goes.) 
(Taig  is  slipping  out  after  him.) 

Queen:  See  now  the  King  of  Sorcha  slipping 
away  into  the  fight.  Stop  here  now!  (Pulls 
him  back.)  You  have  a  life  that  is  precious  to 
many  besides  yourself.  Do  not  go  without 
being  well  armed — and  with  a  troop  of  good 
fighting  men  at  your  back. 

Taig:  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you.  I  think 
ril  be  best  with  myself. 

Queen:  You  have  no  suit  or  armour  upon 
you. 

Taig:  That  is  what  I  was  thinking. 

Queen:  Here  anyway  is  a  sword. 

Taig:  (Taking  it.)  That's  a  nice  belt  now. 
Well  worked,  silver  thread  and  gold. 

Queen:  The  King's  own  guard  will  go  out 
with  you. 

Taig:  I  wouldn't  ask  one  of  them!  What 
would  you  think  of  me  wanting  help !  A  Dra- 
gon! Little  Vd  think  of  him.  Til  knock  the 
life  out  of  him.    Til  give  him  cruelty! 


no  The  Dragon 

Queen:  You  have  great  courage  indeed! 

Taig:  Fll  cut  him  cross  ways  and  length- 
ways the  same  as  a  yard  of  frieze!  Til  make 
garters  of  his  body!  Fll  smooth  him  with  a 
smoothing  iron!  Not  a  fear  of  me!  I  never 
lost  a  bet  yet  that  I  wasn't  able  to  pay  it ! 

Gateman:  (As  he  rushes  in,  Taig  slips 
away. )  The  Dragon !  The  Dragon !  I  seen  it 
coming  and  its  mouth  open  and  a  fiery  flame 
from  it !  And  nine  miles  of  the  sea  is  dry  with 
all  it  drank  of  it!  The  whole  country  is  gath- 
ering the  same  as  of  a  fair  day  for  to  see  him 
devour  the  Princess. 

(Princess  trembles  and  sinks  into  a 
chair.  King,  Queen  and  Dall  Glic 
look  from  zvindow.  They  turn  to 
her  as  they  speak.) 

Queen:  There  is  a  terrible  splashing  in  the 
sea!  It  is  like  as  if  the  Dragon's  tail  had 
beaten  it  into  suds  of  soap ! 

Dall  Glic:  He  is  near  as  big  as  a  whale! 

King:  He  is,  and  bigger! 

Queen:  I  see  him!  I  see  him!  He  would 
seem  to  have  seven  heads ! 


The  Dragon  in 

Ball  Glic:  I  see  but  one. 

Queen:  You  would  see  more  if  you  had  your 
two  eyes !    He  has  six  heads  at  the  least ! 

King:  He  has  but  one.  He  is  twisting  and 
turning  it  around. 

Ball  Glic:  He  is  coming  up  towards  the 
flaggy  shore! 

King:  I  hear  him !  He  is  snoring  like  a  flock 
of  pigs ! 

Queen:  He  is  rearing  his  head  in  the  air! 
He  has  teeth  as  long  as  a  tongs ! 

Ball  Glic:  No,  but  his  tail  he  is  rearing  up! 
It  would  take  a  ladder  forty  feet  long  to  get 
to  the  tip  of  it! 

Queen:  There  is  the  King  of  Sorcha  going 
out  the  gate  for  to  make  an  end  of  him. 

Ball  Glic:  So  he  is,  too.  That  is  great 
bravery. 

King:  He  is  going  to  one  side.  He  is  come 
to  a  stop. 

Ball  Glic:  It  seems  to  me  he  is  ready  to  fall  in 
his  standing.  He  is  gone  into  a  little  thicket 
of  furze.     He  is  not  coming  out,  but  is  lying 


112  The  Dragon 

crouched  up  in  it  the  same  as  a  hare  in  a  tuft. 
I  can  see  his  shoulders  narrowed  up. 
Queen:  He  maybe  got  a  weakness. 
King:  He  did,  maybe,  of  courage.    Shaking 
and  shivering,  he  is  like  a  hen  in  thunder.    In 
my  opinion,  he  is  hiding  from  the  fight. 

Queen:  There  is  the  Prince  of  the  Marshes 
going  out  now,  and  his  coach  after  him!  And 
his  two  aunts  sitting  in  it  and  screeching  to 
him  not  to  run  into  danger ! 

King:  He  will  not  do  much.  He  has  not 
pith  or  power  to  handle  arms.  That  sort  brings 
a  bad  name  on  kings. 

Dall  Glic:  He  is  gone  away  from  the  coach. 
He  is  facing  to  the  flaggy  shore ! 

Queen:  Oh,  the  Dragon  has  put  up  his  head 
and  is  spitting  at  him ! 

King:  He  has  cast  a  spear  into  its  jaw! 
Good  man ! 

{Princess  goes  over  to  window.) 
Dall  Glic:  He  is  casting  another!    His  hand 
shook  ...  it  did  not  go  straight.    He  is  gone 
on  again!     He  has  cast  another  spear!     It 
should  hit  the  beast  ...  it  let  a  roar! 


The  Dragon  113 

Princess:  Good  little  Prince!  What  way  is 
the  battle  now  ? 

Dall  Glic:  It  will  kill  him  with  its  fiery 
breath !  He  is  running  now  ...  he  is  stum- 
bling ...  the  Dragon  is  after  him !  He  is  up 
again !  The  two  Aunts  have  pushed  him  into 
the  coach  and  have  closed  the  iron  door. 

King:  It  will  fail  the  beast  to  swallow  him 
coach  and  all.  It  is  gone  back  to  refresh  itself 
in  the  sea.  You  can  hear  it  puffing  and  plung- 
ing! 

Queen:  There  is  nothing  to  stop  it  now. 
( To  Princess, )  If  you  have  e'er  a  prayer,  now 
is  the  time  to  say  it. 

Dall  Glic:  Stop  a  minute  .  .  .  there  is  an- 
other champion  going  out. 

King:  A  man  wearing  a  saffron  suit  .  .  . 
who  is  he  at  all?  He  has  the  look  of  one  used 
to  giving  orders. 

Princess:  {Looking  out.)  Oh !  he  is  but  go- 
ing to  his  death.  It  would  be  better  for  me  to 
throw  myself  into  the  tide  and  make  an  end 
of  it. 

{Is  rushing  to  door.) 


114  The  Dragon 

King:  {Holding  her.)  He  is  drawing  his 
sword.  Himself  and  the  Dragon  are  thrusting 
at  one  another  on  the  flags ! 

Princess:  Oh,  close  the  curtains!  Shut  out 
the  sound  of  the  battle. 

{Dall  Glic  closes  curtains.) 
King:  Strike  up  now  a  tune  of  music  that 
will  deafen  the  sound! 

{Orchestra  plays.  Princess  is  kneeling 
by  King.  Music  changes  from  dis- 
cord to  victory.  Two  Aunts  and 
Gateman  rush  in.  Noise  of  cheer- 
ing heard  without  as  the  Gateman 
silences  music. ) 
Gateman:  Great  news  and  wonderful  news 
and  a  great  story! 

First  Aunt:  The  fight  is  ended! 
Second  Aunt:  The  Dragon  is  brought  to  his 
last  goal ! 

Gateman:  That  young  fighting  man  that  has 
him  flogged !  Made  at  him  like  a  wave  break- 
ing on  the  strand!  They  crashed  at  one  an- 
other like  two  days  of  judgment!  Like  the 
battle  of  the  cold  with  the  heat ! 


The  Dragon  115 

First  Aunt:  You'd  say  he  was  going 
through  dragons  all  his  life ! 

Second  Aunt:  It  can  hardly  put  a  stir  out 
of  itself! 

Gateman:  That  champion  has  it  baffled  and 
mastered!  It  is  after  being  chased  over  seven 
acres  of  ground! 

First  Aunt:  Drove  it  to  its  knees  on  the 
flaggy  shore  and  made  an  end  of  it ! 

King:  God  bless  that  man  to-day  and  to- 
morrow ! 

Second  Aunt:  He  has  put  it  in  a  way  it  will 
eat  no  more  kings'  daughters! 

Princess:  And  the  stranger  that  mastered 
it — is  he  safe? 

First  Aunt:  What  signifies  if  he  is  or  is  not, 
so  long  as  we  have  our  own  young  prince  to 
bring  home ! 

Gatekeeper:  He  is  not  safe.  No  sooner  had 
he  the  beast  killed  and  conquered  than  he  fell 
dead,  and  the  life  went  out  of  him. 

Princess:  Oh,  that  is  not  right!  He  to  be 
dead  and  I  living  after  him! 

King:  He    was    surely    noble    and    high- 


ii6  The  Dragon 

blooded.  There  are  some  that  will  be  sorry 
for  his  death. 

Princess:  And  who  should  be  more  sorry 
than  I  myself  am  sorry?  Who  should  keen 
him  unless  myself?  There  is  a  man  that  gave 
his  life  for  me,  and  he  young  and  all  his  days 
before  him,  and  shut  his  eyes  on  the  white 
world  for  my  sake! 

Queen:  Indeed  he  was  a  man  you  might  have 
been  content  to  wed  with,  hard  and  all  as  you 
are  to  please. 

Princess:  I  never  will  wed  with  any  man 
so  long  as  my  life  will  last,  that  was  bought  for 
me  with  a  life  was  more  worthy  by  far  than 
my  own !  He  is  gone  out  of  my  reach ;  let  him 
wait  for  me  to  give  him  my  thanks  on  the  other 
side.  Bring  me  now  his  sword  and  his  shield 
till  I  will  put  them  before  me  and  cry  my  eyes 
down  with  grief! 

Gateman:  Here  is  his  cap  for  you,  anyway, 
and  his  cleaver  and  his  bunch  of  skivers.  For 
the  champion  you  are  crying  was  no  other  than 
that  lad  of  a  cook! 

Queen:  That  is  not  true!    It  is  not  possible! 


The  Dragon  117 

Gateman:  Sure  I  seen  him  myself  going  out 
the  gate  a  while  ago.  He  put  off  his  cook's 
apparel  and  threw  it  along  with  these  behind 
the  turf  stack.  I  gathered  them  up  presently 
and  I  coming  in  the  door. 

King:  The  world  is  gone  beyond  me  entire- 
ly !  But  what  I  was  saying  all  through,  there 
was  something  beyond  the  common  in  that 
boy! 

Queen:  (To  Princess,  who  is  clinging  to 
chair.)  Let  you  be  comforted  now,  knowing 
he  cannot  come  back  to  lay  claim  to  you  in  mar- 
riage, as  it  is  likely  he  would,  and  he  living. 

Princess:  It  is  he  saved  me  after  my  un- 
kindness!  ....  Oh,  I  am  ashamed  .  .  .  . 
ashamed ! 

Queen:  It  is  a  queer  thing  a  king's  daughter 
to  be  crying  after  a  man  used  to  twisting  the 
spit  in  place  of  weapons,  and  over  skivers  in 
the  place  of  a  sword! 

Princess!  {Gropes  and  totters.)  What  has 
happened?  There  is  something  gone  astray! 
I  have  no  respect  for  myself.  ...  I  cannot 
live!      I    am    ashamed?      Where    is    Nurse? 


ii8  The  Dragon 

Muime!  Come  to  me  Muime !  .  .  .  My  grief! 
The  man  that  died  for  me,  whether  he  is  of  the 
noble  or  the  simple  of  the  world,  it  is  to  him  I 
have  given  the  love  of  my  soul ! 

{Dall  Glic  supports  her  and  lays  her  on 
window  seat.) 

Nurse:  {Rushing  in.)  What  is  it,  honey? 
What  at  all  are  they  after  doing  to  you? 

Queen:  Throw  over  her  a  skillet  of  water. 
She  is  gone  into  a  faint. 

Dall  Glic:  {Who  is  bending  over  her.)  She 
is  in  no  faint.    She  is  gone  out. 

Nurse:  Oh,  my  child  and  my  darling! 
What  call  had  I  to  leave  you  among  them  at 
all? 

King:  Raise  her  up.  It  is  impossible  she 
can  be  gone. 

Dall  Glic:  Gone  out  and  spent,  as  sudden  as 
a  candle  in  a  blast  of  wind. 

King:  Who  would  think  grief  would  do 
away  with  her  so  sudden,  there  to  be  seven  of 
the  like  of  him  dead? 

Nurse:  {Rises.)     What  did  you  do  to  her 


The  Dragon  119 

at  all,  at  all?  Or  was  it  through  the  fright 
and  terror  of  the  beast? 

Queen:  She  died  of  the  heartbreak,  being 
told  that  the  strange  champion  that  had  put 
down  the  Dragon  was  killed  dead. 

Nurse:  Killed,  is  it?  Who  now  put  that  lie 
out  of  his  mouth?  (Shouts  in  her  ear.)  What 
would  ail  him  to  be  dead?  It  is  myself  can  tell 
you  the  true  story.  No  man  in  Ireland  ever 
was  half  as  good  as  him !  It  was  himself  mas- 
tered the  beast  and  dragged  the  heart  out  of 
him  and  forced  down  a  squirrel's  heart  in  its 
place,  and  slapped  a  bridle  on  him.  And  he 
himself  did  but  stagger  and  go  to  his  knees  in 
the  heat  and  drunkenness  of  the  battle,  and 
rose  up  after  as  good  as  ever  he  was !  It  is  out 
putting  ointments  on  him  that  I  was  up  to  this, 
and  healing  up  his  cuts  and  wounds !  Oh,  what 
ails  you,  honey,  that  you  will  not  waken? 

Queen:  She  thought  it  to  be  a  champion  and 
a  high  up  man  that  had  died  for  her  sake.  It 
is  what  broke  her  down  in  the  latter  end,  hear- 
ing him  to  be  no  big  man  at  all,  but  a  clown ! 

Nurse:  Oh,  my  darling!    And  I  not  here  to 


I20  The  Dragon 

tell  you!  You  are  a  motherless  child,  and  the 
curse  of  your  mother  will  be  on  me!  It  was 
no  clown  fought  for  you,  but  a  king,  having 
generations  of  kings  behind  him,  the  young 
King  of  Sorcha,  Manus,  son  of  Solas  son  of 
Lugh. 

King:  I  would  believe  that  now  sooner  than 
many  a  thing  I  would  hear. 

Nurse:  (Keening.)  Oh,  my  child,  and  my 
share !  I  thought  it  was  you  would  be  closing 
my  eyes,  and  now  I  am  closing  your  own !  You 
to  be  brought  away  in  your  young  youth! 
Your  hand  that  was  whiter  than  the  snow  of 
one  night,  and  the  colour  of  the  foxglove  on 
your  cheek. 

(A  great  shouting  outside  and  hurst  of 
music.  A  march  played.  Manus 
comes  in,  follozved  by  Fintan  and 
Prince  of  the  Marshes.  Shouts 
and  music  continue.  He  leads  the 
Dragon  by  a  bridle.  The  others 
are  in  front  of  Princess,  huddled 
from  Dragon.  Queen  gets  up  on 
a  chair.) 


The  Dragon  121 

Manus:  Where  is  the  Princess  Nu?  I  have 
brought  this  beast  to  bow  itself  at  her  feet. 

{All  are  silent.  Manus  flings  bridle  to 
Fintan's  hand.  Dragon  backs  out. 
All  go  aside  from  Princess, ) 

Nurse:  She  is  here  dead  before  you. 

Manus:  That  cannot  be !  She  was  well  and 
living  half  an  hour  ago. 

Nurse:  (Rises.)  Oh,  if  she  could  but  waken 
and  hear  your  voice!  She  died  with  the  fret 
of  losing  you,  that  is  heaven's  truth !  It  is  tor- 
mented she  was  with  these  giving  out  you  were 
done  away  with,  and  mocking  at  your  weapons 
that  they  laid  down  to  be  the  cleaver  and  the 
spit,  till  the  heart  broke  in  her  like  a  nut. 

Manus:  (Kneeling  beside  her.)  Then  it  is 
myself  have  brought  the  death  darkness  upon 
you  at  the  very  time  I  thought  to  have  saved 
you! 

Nurse:  There  is  no  blame  upon  you,  but 
some  that  had  too  much  talk! 
(Goes  on  keening.) 

Manus:  What  call  had  I  to  come  humbug- 
ging and  letting  on  as  I  did,  teasing  and  tor- 


122  The  Dragon 

meriting  her,  and  not  coming  as  a  King  should 
that  is  come  to  ask  for  a  Queen!  Oh,  come 
back  for  one  minute  only  till  I  will  ask  your 
pardon ! 

Dall  Glic:  She  cannot  come  to  you  or  an- 
swer you  at  all  for  ever. 

Manns:  Then  I  myself  will  go  follow  you 
and  will  ask  for  your  forgiveness  wherever  you 
are  gone,  on  the  Plain  of  Wonder  or  in  the 
Many-Coloured  Land!  That  is  all  I  can  do 
....  to  go  after  you  and  tell  you  it  was  no 
want  of  respect  that  brought  me  in  that  dress, 
but  hurry  and  folly  and  taking  my  own  way. 
For  it  is  what  I  have  to  say  to  you,  that  I  gave 
you  my  heart's  love,  what  I  never  gave  to  any 
other,  since  first  I  saw  you  before  me  in  my 
sleep !  Here,  now,  is  a  short  road  to  reach  you ! 
(  Takes  sword, ) 

Prince  of  Marshes:  (^Catching  his  hand.) 
Go  easy  now,  go  easy. 

Manns:  Take  off  your  hand!     I  say  I  will 
die  with  her! 

Prince  of  Marshes:  That  will  not  raise  her 
up  again.    But  I,  now,  if  I  have  no  skill  in  kill- 


The  Dragon  123 

ing  beasts  or  men,  have  maybe  the  means  of 
bringing  her  back  to  Hfe. 

Nurse:  Oh,  my  blessing  on  you!  What  is  it 
you  have  at  all? 

Prince  of  Marshes:  {Taking  hag  from  his 
Aunt,)  These  three  leaves  from  the  Tree  of 
Power  that  grows  by  the  Well  of  Healing. 
Here  they  are  now  for  you,  tied  with  a  thread 
of  the  wool  of  the  sheep  of  the  Land  of  Prom- 
ise. There  is  power  in  them  to  bring  one  per- 
son only  back  to  life. 

First  Aunt:  Give  them  back  to  me!  You 
have  your  own  life  to  think  of  as  well  as  any 
other  one! 

Second  Aunt:  Do  not  spend  and  squander 
that  cure  on  any  person  but  yourself ! 

Prince  of  Marshes:  {Giving  the  leaves.) 
And  if  I  have  given  her  my  love  that  it  is  likely 
I  will  give  to  no  other  woman  for  ever,  indeed 
and  indeed,  I  would  not  ask  her  or  wish  her  to 
wed  with  a  very  frightened  man,  and  that  is 
what  I  was  a  while  ago.  But  you  yourself 
have  earned  her,  being  brave. 


124  'The  Dragon 

Manus:  (Taking  leaves.)  I  never  will  for- 
get it  to  you.    You  will  be  a  brave  man  yet. 

Prince  of  Marshes:  Give  me  in  place  of  it 
your  sword;  for  I  am  going  my  lone  through 
the  world  for  a  twelvemonth  and  a  day,  till  I 
will  learn  to  fight  with  my  own  hand. 

(Manus  gives  him  sword.  He  throws 
off  cloak  and  outer  coat  and  fas- 
tens it  on. ) 

Nurse:  Stand  back,  now.  Let  the  whole  of 
ye  stand  back.  (She  lays  a  leaf  on  the  Prin- 
cess's mouth  and  one  on  each  of  her  hands.)  I 
call  on  you  by  the  power  of  the  Seven  Belts  of 
the  Heavens,  of  the  Twelve  Winds  of  the 
World,  of  the  Three  Waters  of  the  Sea! 
(Princess  stirs  slightly.) 

King:  That  is  a  wonder  of  wonders!  She 
is  stirring! 

Manus:  Oh,  my  share  of  the  world!  Are 
you  come  back  to  me  ? 

Princess:  It  was  a  hard  fight  he  wrestled 
with.  ...  I  thought  I  heard  his  voice.  .  .  . 
Is  he  come  from  danger  ? 

Nurse:  He  did.    Here  he  is.    He  that  saved 


The  Dragon  125 

you  and  that  killed  the  Dragon,  and  that  let  on 
to  be  a  serving  boy,  and  he  no  less  than  one  of 
the  world's  kings! 

Manus:  Here  I  am,  my  dear,  beside  you,  to 
be  your  comrade  and  your  company  for  ever. 
Princess:  You!  .  .  .  Yes,  it  is  yourself. 
Forgive  me.  I  am  sorry  that  I  spoke  unkindly 
to  you  a  while  ago ;  I  am  ashamed  that  it  failed 
me  to  know  you  to  be  a  king. 

(She  stands  up,  helped  by  Nurse.) 
Manus:  It  was  my  own  fault  and  my  folly. 
What  way  could  you  know  it?    There  is  noth- 
ing to  forgive. 

Princess:  But  ...  if  I  did  not  recognise 
you  as  a  king  .  .  .  anyway  .  .  .  the  time  you 
dropped  the  eggs  ...  I  was  nearly  certain 
that  you  were  no  cook! 
(They  embrace,) 
Queen:  There  now  I  have  everything 
brought  about  very  well  in  the  finish ! 

(A  scream  at  door.  Taig  rushes  in,  fol- 
lowed by  Sibby,  in  country  dress. 
He  kneels  at  the  Queen* s  feet,  hold- 
ing  on  to  her  skirt.) 


126  The  Dragon 

Sibby:  Bad  luck  and  bad  cess  to  you!  Tor- 
ment and  vexation  on  you!  (Seises  him  by 
back  of  neck  and  shakes  him.)  You  dirty  little 
scum  and  leavings!  You  puny  shrimp  you! 
You  miserable  ninth  part  of  a  man! 

Queen:  Is  it  King  or  the  Dragon  Killer  he 
is  letting  on  to  be  yet,  or  do  you  know  what  he 
is  at  all? 

Sibby:  It's  myself  knows  that,  and  does 
know  it!  He  being  Taig  the  tailor,  my  own 
son  and  my  misfortune,  that  stole  away  from 
me  a  while  ago,  bringing  with  him  the  grand 
clothes  of  that  young  champion  (points  to 
Manus)  and  his  gold!  To  borrow  a  team  of 
horses  from  the  plough  he  did,  and  to  bring 
away  the  magistrate's  coach !  But  I  followed 
him !  I  came  tracking  him  on  the  road !  Put 
off  now  those  shoes  that  are  too  narrow  for 
you,  you  red  thief,  you !  For,  believe  me,  you'll 
go  facing  home  on  shank's  mare ! 

Taig:  (Whimpering.)  It's  a  very  unkind 
thing  you  to  go  screeching  that  out  before  the 
King,  that  will  maybe  strike  my  head  off! 

Sibby:  Did  ever  you  know  of  anyone  mak- 


The  Dragon  127 

ing  a  quarrel  in  a  whisper  ?  To  wed  with  the 
King's  daughter,  you  would?  To  go  vanquish 
the  water-worm  you  would?  Til  engage  you 
ran  before  you  went  anear  him! 

Taig:  If  I  didn't  I'd  be  tore  with  his  claws 
and  scorched  with  his  fiery  breath.  It  is  likely 
Fd  be  going  home  dead ! 

Sibby:  Strip  off  now  that  cloak  and  that 
bodycoat  and  come  along  with  me,  or  I'll  make 
split  marrow  of  you!  What  call  have  you  to 
a  suit  that  is  worth  more  than  the  whole  of  the 
County  Mayo?  You're  tricky  and  too  much 
tricks  in  you,  and  you  were  born  for  tricks !  It 
would  be  right  you  to  be  turned  into  the  shape 
of  a  limping  foxy  cat! 

Taig:  (Weeping  as  he  takes  off  clothes.) 
Sure  I  thought  it  no  harm  to  try  to  go  better 
myself. 

Prince  of  Marshes:  {Giving  his  cloak  and 
coat.)  Here,  I  bestow  these  to  you.  If  you 
were  a  while  ago  a  tailor  among  kings,  from 
this  out  you  will  be  a  king  among  tailors. 

Sibby:  (Curtseying.)  Well,  then,  my  thou- 
sand blessings  on  you!    He'll  be  as  proud  as 


128  The  Dragon 

the  world  of  that.     Now,  Taig,  you'll  be  as 
dressed  up  as  the  best  of  them!    Come  on  now 
to  Oughtmana,  as  it  is  long  till  you'll  quit  it. 
(They  go  towards  door.) 

Dragon:  (Putting  his  head  in  at  window.) 
Manus,  King  of  Sorcha,  I  am  starved  with  the 
want  of  food.    Give  me  a  bit  to  eat. 

Pint  an:  He  is  not  put  down!  He  will  de- 
vour the  whole  of  us !  Td  sooner  face  a  bullet 
and  ten  guns ! 

Dragon:  It  is  not  mannerly  to  eat  without 
being  invited.  Is  it  any  harm  to  ask  where  will 
I  find  a  meal  will  suit  me? 

Princess:  Oh,  does  he  ask  to  make  a  meal  of 
me,  after  all? 

Dragon:  I  am  hungry  and  dancing  with  the 
hunger !  It  was  you,  Manus,  stopped  me  from 
the  one  meal.    Let  you  set  before  me  another. 

King:  There  is  reason  in  that.  Drive  up 
now  for  him  a  bullock  from  the  meadow. 

Dragon:  Manus,  it  is  not  bullocks  I  am  crav- 
ing, since  the  time  you  changed  the  heart  with- 
in me  for  the  heart  of  a  little  squirrel  of  the 
wood. 


The  Dragon  129 

Manus:  {Taking  a  cocoa-nut  from  table.) 
Here  is  a  nut  from  the  island  of  Lanka,  that 
is  called  Adam's  Paradise.  Milk  there  is  in 
it,  and  a  kernel  as  white  as  snow. 

{He  throws  it  out.    Dragon  is  heard 
crunching. ) 

Dragon:  {Putting  head  in  again.)  More! 
Give  me  more  of  them !  Give  them  out  to  me 
by  the  dozen  and  by  the  score! 

Manus:  You  must  go  seek  them  in  the  east 
of  the  world,  where  you  can  gather  them  in 
bushels  on  the  strand. 

Dragon:  So  I  will  go  there!  Til  make  no 
delay!  I  give  you  my  word,  Fd  sooner  one  of 
them  than  to  be  cracking  the  skulls  of  kings' 
daughters,  and  the  blood  running  down  my 
jaws.  Blood!  Ugh!  It  would  disgust  me! 
Vm  in  dread  it  would  cause  vomiting.  That 
and  to  have  the  plaits  of  hair  tickling  and  tor- 
menting my  gullet ! 

Princess:  {Claps  hands.)  That  is  good 
hearing,  and  a  great  change  of  heart. 

Dragon:  But  if  it's  a  tame  dragon  I  am 
from  this  out,  Fm  thinking  it's  best  for  me  to 


130  The  Dragon 

make  away  before  you  know  it,  or  it's  likely 
ye'll  be  yoking  me  to  harrow  the  clods,  or  to  be 
dragging  the  water-car  from  the  spring  well. 
So  good-bye  the  whole  of  ye,  and  get  to  your 
supper.  Much  good  may  it  do  you!  I  give 
you  my  word  there  is  nothing  in  the  universe 
I  despise,  only  the  flesh-eaters  of  Adam's  race ! 


CURTAIN. 


AUTHOR'S  NOTE 

I  wrote  The  Dragon  in  191 7,  that  now  seems  so 
many  long  years  away,  and  I  have  been  trying  to 
remember  how  I  came  to  write  it.  I  think  perhaps 
through  some  unseen  inevitable  kick  of  the  swing 
towards  gay-coloured  comedy  from  the  shadow  of 
tragedy.  It  was  begun  seriously  enough,  for  I  see 
among  my  scraps  of  manuscripts  that  the  earliest 
outline  of  it  is  entitled  "The  Awakening  of  a  Soul," 
the  soul  of  the  little  Princess  who  had  not  gone  "far 
out  in  the  world."  And  that  idea  was  never  quite 
lost,  for  even  when  it  had  all  turned  to  comedy  I  see 
as  an  alternative  name  "A  Change  of  Heart."  For 
even  the  Dragon's  heart  is  changed  by  force,  as 
happens  in  the  old  folk  tales  and  the  heart  of  some 
innocent  creature  put  in  its  place  by  the  conqueror's 
hand;  all  change  more  or  less  except  the  Queen.  She 
is  yet  satisfied  that  she  has  moved  all  things  well,  and 
so  she  must  remain  till  some  new  breaking  up  or 
re-birth. 

As  to  the  framework,  that  was  once  to  have  been 
the  often-told  story  of  a  King's  daughter  given  to 
whatever  man  can  "knock  three  laughs  out  of  her." 
As  well  as  I  remember  the  first  was  to  have  been  when 
the  eggs  were  broken,  and  another  when  she  laughed 

131 


132  Author's  Note 

with  the  joy  of  happy  love.  But  the  third  was  the 
stumbling-blbck.  It  was  necessary  the  ears  of  the 
Abbey  audience  should  be  tickled  at  the  same  time  as 
those  of  the  Princess,  and  old-time  jests  like  those  of 
Sir  Dinadin  of  the  Round  Table  seem  but  dull  to  ears 
of  to-day.  So  I  called  to  my  help  the  Dragon  that 
has  given  his  opportunity  to  so  many  a  hero  from 
Perseus  in  the  Greek  Stories  to  Shawneen  in  those  of 
Kiltartan.  And  he  did  not  sulk  or  fail  me,  for  after 
one  of  the  first  performances  the  producer  wrote: 
"I  wish  you  had  seen  the  play  last  night  when  a  big 
Northern  in  the  front  of  the  stalls  was  overcome 
with  helpless  laughter,  first  by  Sibby  and  then  by  the 
Dragon.  He  sat  there  long  after  the  curtain  fell, 
unable  to  move  and  wiping  the  tears  from  his  eyes; 
the  audiences  stopped  going  out  and  stood  and 
laughed  at  him."  And  even  a  Dragon  may  think  it  a 
feather  in  his  cap  to  have  made  Ulster  laugh. 

A.   G. 
Coole, 
February,  1920. 


ORIGINAL  CAST 

"The  Dragon"  was  first  produced  at  the  Abbey 
Theatre,  Dublin,  on  21st  April,  1919,  with  the  follow- 
ing cast: 

The  King Barry  Fitzgerald 

The  Queen Mary  Sheridan 

The  Princess  Nula Eithne  Magee 

The  Dall  Glic  (The  Blind  Wise 

Man) Peter  Nolan 

The  Nurse Maureen  Delany 

The  Prince  of  the  Marshes J.  Hugh  Nagle 

Manus — King  of  Sorcha Arthur  Shields 

Fin  tan — The  Astrologer F.  J.  MacCormick 

Taig Florence  Marks 

The  Dragon Seaghan  Barlow 

The  Porter Stephen  Casey 

The  Gatekeeper Hubert    M'Guire 

Two  Aunts  of  the  Prince  of  the  fEsME  Ward 
Marshes Idymphna  Daly 


133 


The  Supernatural  in 
Modern  English  Fiction 

By 

Dorothy  Scarborough 

In  a  style  brilliant  and  incisive,  the  author 
has  written  a  book  that,  in  these  days 
when  the  occult  is  receiving  so  much  serious 
attention,  should  appeal  not  only  to  those 
interested  in  literary  history,  but,  to  all 
who  have  faith  that  there  are  forces  about 
us,  as  yet  imperfectly  explored,  it  is  true, 
that  partake  of  the  supernatural.  While 
paying  tribute  to  the  convincing  achieve- 
ments in  this  division  of  fiction  the  author 
has  been  quick  to  detect  the  literary  char- 
latan and  to  expose  his  lack  of  sincerity 
with  her  keen  comments. 


0.  p.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  London 


Seven  Short  Plays 


By 
Lady  Gregory 


Author  of  ••New  Comedies,"  "Our  Irish  Theatre,**  etc 


The  plays  in  this  volume  are  the  following: 
Spreading  the  News,  Hyacinth  Halvey,  The 
Rising  of  the  Moon,  The  Jackdaw,  The  Worlc^ 
house  Ward,  The  Travelling  Man,  The  Gaol  Gate, 
The  volume  also  contains  music  for  the  songs  in 
the  plays  and  notes  explaining  the  conception  of 
the  plays. 

Among  the  three  great  exponents  of  the 
modem  Celtic  movement  in  Ireland,  Lady 
Gregory  holds  an  unusual  place.  It  is  she  from 
whom  came  the  chief  historical  impulse  which 
resulted  in  the  re-creation  for  the  present 
generation  of  the  elemental  poetry  of  early 
Ireland,  its  wild  disorders,  its  loves  and  hates — 
all  the  passionate  light  and  shadow  of  that  fierce 
and  splendid  race. 


G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  London 


Our  Irish  Theatre 

By  Lady  GreiJory 

Author  of  "  Irish  Folk-History  Plays,"  "  New  Comedies,"  etc. 
12°.     Illustrated 

The  volume  presents  an  account  not  only 
of  the  great  contemporary  dramatic  move- 
ment of  Ireland,  including  such  names  as 
those  of  Synge,  Yeats,  and  Lady  Gregory 
herself,  but  of  the  stage  history  of  the  Dublin 
Theatre  from  its  erection.  A  section  of  the 
book  that  possesses  a  very  pertinent  interest 
for  American  readers  is  that  which  has  to  do 
with  the  bitter  antagonism  which  the  Irish 
actors  encountered  on  their  first  visit  to  our 
shores,  an  antagonism  which  happily  expended 
itself  and  was  converted  upon  the  second 
visit  of  these  players  into  approval  and  en- 
thusiastic endorsement.  The  book  contains 
a  full  record  of  the  growth  and  development 
of  an  important  dramatic  undertaking,  in 
which  the  writer  has  been  a  directing  force. 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  London 


New  Comedies 

By 
LADY  GREGORY 

The    Bogie    Men — The    Full    Moon — Coats 
Darner's  Gold— McDonough's  Wife 

8°.     With  Portrait  in  Photogravure 

The  plays  have  been  acted  with  great  success 
by  the  Abbey  Company,  and  have  been  highly 
extolled  by  appreciative  audiences  and  an  en- 
thusiastic press.  They  are  distinguished  by  a 
humor  of  unchallenged  originality. 

One  of  the  plays  in  the  collection,  "Coats,'* 
depends  for  its  plot  upon  the  rivalry  of  two 
editors,  each  of  whom  has  written  an  obituary 
notice  of  the  other.  The  dialogue  is  full  of 
crisp  humor.  *' McDonough's  Wife,"  another 
drama  that  appears  in  the  volume,  is  based  on  a 
legend,  and  explains  how  a  whole  town  rendered 
honor  against  its  will.  **  The  Bogie  Men  "  has  as 
its  underlying  situation  an  amusing  misunder- 
standing of  two  chimney-sweeps.  The  wit  and 
absurdity  of  the  dialogue  are  in  Lady  Gregory's 
best  vein.  **  Damer's  Gold  "  contains  the  story 
of  a  miser  beset  by  his  gold-hungry  relations. 
Their  hopes  and  plans  are  upset  by  one  they  had 
believed  to  be  of  the  simple  of  the  world,  but 
who  confounds  the  Wisdom  of  the  Wise.  **  The 
Full  Moon  "  presents  a  little  comedy  enacted  on 
an  Irish  railway  station.  It  is  characterized  by 
humor  of  an  original  and  delightful  character 
and  repartee  that  is  distinctly  clever. 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


